


A sky full of song

by Beatonen



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, I rated it mature because of blood, Kinda fantasy au, Lycanthropy is a THING, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Vampire Weiss!, Werewolf Ruby, Werewolf Yang, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2020-11-27 19:53:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 60,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20954003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatonen/pseuds/Beatonen
Summary: Ready to finish her endless life, Weiss sets out in the forest, wanting to feel the sun's warmth for one last time.But before she does, she stumbles into an unlikely creature, and more unlikely friend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guess what? How do I run away from my responsabilities?
> 
> That's right! I write unsolicited fics! :D
> 
> Anyway here's this! I plan for it to be kind of a short story, but, heh. I never know. I'm as clueless about this story as you guys.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

She sometimes wondered why, or _how_ actually, her family had gone so wrong like this.

She remembered a time where her laugh would echo throughout the halls, the sound of hers and her little brother’s steps resonating as they would run down hallways and ballrooms, how her older sister’s voice took a mocking tone as she playfully lectured them about good manners.

She remembered the keys of a piano playing softly, accompanying her mother’s voice always so beautifully…

It all felt like an eternity, since she last heard it. Now, the halls were remaining forever still, the piano remained silent and collected dust in its corner, and the clicks of their footsteps resonated in a walk. Her older sister’s voice, when it was heard inside the castle, sounded harsh and commanding.

Her mother never sang, anymore.

The only thing that could be heard was her father’s voice, shouting and yelling, or barking an order.

It had felt like a dream, once upon a time, when her father came to them with the secret of longevity. Eternal life, he insisted, for the family, so we would stay together.

All it took was a ritual that she didn’t really remember, and the next thing they knew, they couldn’t walk in the sun, food tasted like ash and human beings suddenly smelled oh, so delicious.

It had seemed like a dream come true, at the time. Her father still believed it as a dream. For the rest of them, however, it was more of a curse than anything.

Mother spent her days trying to drink herself to the grave, having done so for the better part of a century, now. Winter was often away, fighting wars on faraway lands. Whitley seemed content to just… exist. And as for her…

She was growing tired of this castle, of this hollowed, broken family, of living always in the darkness.

The memories of the sunlight on her skin felt as vague and hard to believe as the ones about her family getting along.

So, she set out, a few hours before dawn, and went to the woods neighboring the castle’s grounds, decided to feel the sunlight for one, final time.

She didn’t even found the strength to cry. She didn’t think of it as her final end, just… the end of a miserable life. Even if her father had the grace of waiting until his children were adults before performing the ritual, at two hundreds and forty-eight years, she hadn’t left the castle’s grounds more than a handful of times, and she was getting tired of these stony, barren walls.

It wasn’t the end, it was liberation.

And it was one of the only times in her life that she roamed the forest alone, so close to daylight.

She laughed softly, wondering when was the last time she felt so light, so… free.

A branch snapped close to her.

Snapping her attention to it, she crossed gaze with a dark mass, a good amount of distance between them, but it was only now as the wind shifted slightly that the smell reached her nose, and she felt her blood boil, recognising the scent instantly.

A lycan.

Gritting her teeth as she didn’t want her last moment being killed by her species mortal enemy, she called for the power of her blood and felt her bones stretch, her fingers transforming into long, sharp claws as skin-thin wings burst from her back and tore her shirt, knowing her eyes were glowing as she hissed, baring her fangs.

“You are trespassing!” She growled, her voice strangely gravelly in this form.

The lycan’s tall, fluffy ears instantly flattened as the tall, massive frame shrunk, letting out a quiet whine, and she was utterly surprised when the werewolf turned right in front of her eyes, a young woman raising peaceful hands in front of her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know!” The woman said, her voice sounding genuine. “I promise I didn’t know! I just got lost and I’m trying to find my way back, please, _please_ I don’t want any trouble-”

“You didn’t know!?” She barked, straightening her back and standing much taller than the young woman, who shrunk again under her stare.

“I just moved here!” The woman insisted, and she could hear that she was on the verge of tears. “I just went in the forest because I was restless, I mean the full moon is tomorrow…”

Pinching her lips instead of baring her fangs, she slowly folded her wings at her back, turning her eyes up to the sky and stared at the moon, noticing right away that it wasn’t full, yet.

“But then I went too far and I got lost, I swear on my mom’s grave I’m just trying to go back home, I didn’t know vampires lived here-” the woman was still rambling, toying with the remains of her shirt as her shoulders were visibly trembling.

“Where do you live?” She asked calmly after taking in a deep breath.

She returned to her normal form as the young woman looked up, interrupting what she was saying to fix her eyes at her with a stunned look. When she didn’t say anything, apparently still shook about her change of tone, she stepped closer, cautiously still, but eyed the forest around them with her piercing eyes.

“You must come from Vytal, right?” She asked again, turning her attention on the woman.

It was only now that she was closer, that the woman was staring with such wide eyes, and that the moonlight filtered through the leaves and hit her eyes that she could see her irises.

She had expected light-brown or even yellow, like the wolves she had seen in this region.

But no. They were silver.

It almost made her laugh. This woman had eyes of her greatest weakness.

“I know the way to Vytal. I could walk you home,” she proposed, her heart, or what was left of it, aching for this girl just trying to go home.

Cautious, the woman frowned then, tentatively straightening her back as her silver eyes were still observing her attentively.

“You would?” The woman sounded surprised, but excited also.

She felt the faintest smile grace her lips, her chest aching to see the hope lit up in her eyes at the prospect of going home.

“I have nothing better to do,” she simply said, before turning a bit on her heels and started towards the town she knew was hidden on the other side of the woods.

It took a beat or two before she heard the young woman join her, a silence settled over them, but even if she wasn’t looking at her she could almost _feel_ how restless the girl was, walking noisily, smacking leaves and breaking branches in her wake.

It made her wonder if every lycan was like this, because _gods_, her vampire blood didn’t feel as much as a burden, now.

“I’m really sorry about trespassing, you know,” the woman said behind her. “I thought I saw a light and I thought it was the town, but then I couldn’t hear anything so I was hesitating, and then you were there…”

A short, breathless chuckle sounded then.

“You kinda scared the crap out of me. I thought I wouldn’t leave this forest, tonight.”

“I could say the same to you,” she merely replied, pushing a bush aside so she could walk over a fallen tree.

She remembered all the stories her father used to tell her, about lycans hunting her kind only for sports, about them setting castles on fire just to draw them out. She could almost feel the hatred surrounding the memory, remembering how his face contorted in anger, how he would spit the name of this race he deemed inferior than them.

“Well,” she heard quietly behind her, after a sudden pause in the stomping following her. “Where I come from, when a lycan meets a vampire… Let’s just say that we never hear about the lycan again.”

Slowing down the pace, she glanced over her shoulder at the young woman, seeing a somber, dark expression on her face, and it made her remember what the woman said, earlier.

“You said you just moved here? Where do you come from?” She asked, hoping the woman’s expression would clear.

There was an ache in her chest to see those clear silver eyes darkened like this, and she returned her attention in front of her, holding a branch to not let it slip back against the woman behind her.

If anything, the air around the woman itself seemed to tense, condensing until it was palpable, but the woman cleared her throat quietly, thanking her silently about the branch.

“Oh, uh, just a small island on the edge of the kingdom of Vale. It’s called Patch.”

“Mm. I’ve never heard of it.”

“Yeah, it’s… It’s really small. And like all small settlements, well, you can’t keep a secret for long, I guess.”

Looking over her shoulder again but this time to give a puzzled furrow of brows to the woman, it made her sigh helplessly as she shrugged, offering a humorless smile in return.

“Well, it worked for twenty-five years, at least. Dad preferred for us to move before the humans decided to hunt us down, or something.”

Staring at the woman for a moment more, she stopped, and the lycan did the same, the same small smile that didn’t reach her eyes on her lips.

“You just said it worked for over twenty years,” she said, earning the woman’s attention. “What changed?”

Again, she was offered a simple shrug.

“We grew up, I guess. We’re too big to be taken for simple wolves, now, and the townsfolk were setting up nightly rounds and even hunts to chase the wolves away. Then, after a rainy night, they found the paw prints leading all the way home, and, well…”

The woman brought a hand to the back of her neck, rubbing it for a second before her hand fell back to her side, and a sigh left her lips, silently.

“I was careless,” the woman murmured. “We had no choice but to move.”

“’We’?” she tentatively asked, earning the woman’s attention instantly. “How many other lycan did you bring with you?”

She hadn’t meant to sound so… disgusted, and yet she did. But before she could apologise or rephrase, the woman merely snorted, waving a relaxed hand in the air towards her.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me and my sister. Dad doesn’t care much about running around in the woods, anymore.”

Relaxing after the woman’s reassurance, they walked in silence for a moment, the sound of their steps the only noise to be heard as the nocturnal animals hushed at their presence.

“I’m Ruby, by the way,” the woman said suddenly to her, offering a friendly smile with it.

Then, the silence returned, the lycan apparently not minding if there was nothing in return.

For a long moment, she wanted to leave it at that, and let the silence stretch. But she had to say, she couldn’t even remember the last time she talked to a stranger.

She just had to not think too much about the stranger-being-a-lycan part.

“Weiss.”

The smile the woman gave her in return was far too bright and happy to be in return of her name. How could someone be as happy as this woman simply for knowing her name, she would never know.

“Nearly there,” she added much more quietly, somehow embarrassed by the radiant smile the woman still had stamped on her lips.

“So Weiss,” Ruby started instantly after, apparently willing to start a conversation now that she knew her name. “Was that your home? Where I was trespassing?”

Releasing a sigh, she indulged anyway, preferring to have this than stay awkwardly silent.

“Yes. Beacon’s castle.”

The smile on the woman’s lips disappeared instantly, traded by a horrified expression.

“Beacon?!” Ruby repeated. “As in, ‘Beacon tower’?”

Eyeing the woman for a second before returning her attention in front of her, she simply nodded, sidestepping to not step in a hole in the ground.

“Yes. The castle is mostly well-hidden, but the tower can be seen from the ocean.”

“Oh, crap.”

“What is it?”

“Dad told me, and I quote: ‘Whatever you do, don’t go near Beacon’s tower.’ Now I understand why; it’s full of vampires!”

Then a loud, resounding sigh filled the following silence.

“Man, it’s not even been a day and I blew it!”

Somehow, for whatever reason, it made her laugh.

It made her laugh so hard, she had to stop and bend over to try and find her breath again, and she was vaguely aware of Ruby, carefully patting her back between the holes in her shirt.

Finally, she calmed down, sighing the last of her laughter, and she brought a hand to her chest, trying to find her heart beating loudly… or something.

But no.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed, finding herself at peace. Her eyes drifted up to the sky, seeing it paling already. At least, she had a good laugh before the sun was up. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you, but…”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Ruby waved a relaxed hand in the air again, a corner of her lips curling up. “I mean it _is_ kind of funny…”

Chuckling as they returned to their walk, they spent the rest of it in a comfortable silence, Ruby seemingly a lot less restless now that the sun was so close. She tracked it, from the corner of her eyes, how pale the sky was getting. She could almost feel its growing warmth envelop her, felt the hairs at the base of her neck rising on end.

She was determined to die this morning, and she couldn’t care less about who she was with for her last moments.

Still, they reached the edges of the woods, still mostly hidden amidst the treeline, but the smoke coming out of chimney could be smelled even before they could see the town, and it was early enough for it to be deserted, the folks there still sleeping soundly right before the sun would wake them up.

They stopped then, observing the town for a moment in silence, and it was Ruby that spoke first, a lot more serious than earlier, now.

“Thanks, Weiss,” the woman quietly let out with a small smile. She could see, in the rising light, the freckles that crowned her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose, and how her hair was dark but cleared towards the ends, taking a reddish tint. “If you could just pretend I never crossed the boundaries of your home…”

It made her snort, unable to contain the smirk from pulling her lips. Soon, there would be no trace of her altogether; Ruby’s presence on her homeland was the last of her worries.

“Don’t worry,” she still offered some reassurance. “No one will know.”

And the brunette smiled, grateful.

Then she stared at her, seemingly waiting for something.

Pretending not to see her, she continued to observe the town, watching the mountains in the distance slowly painted in gold by the morning sun, and it was maybe when they were halfway all golden that Ruby started showing signs of nervousness.

“Hey, Weiss?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t, uh, don’t vampires burn and die when they’re in the sun?”

“Indeed, they do.”

A short silence followed.

“You’re, uh, kinda far from home.”

“That’s fine.”

“Well, the sun is rising right now.”

“That’s fine too.”

This time, the silence stretched for a lot longer.

“If I may ask,” the brunette shifted in place, her eyes darting towards the quickly paling horizon. “What were you doing in the woods, so close to dawn?”

The idea of simply not answering fluttered in her mind, but she was sure Ruby would shove her under her ripped shirt before the sun could burn her to ashes. Then, the idea of simply turning back and leave came to, but…

But after all this time… She didn’t want to die alone.

“I’m tired,” she simply answered, keeping her eyes to the town.

She could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead and temples, and her eyes, inexorably drawn, turned to the brightening horizon, waiting with baited breath for the first rays of the sun.

“Of what?” Ruby asked, but the way she said it, she knew it was rhetorical. The lycan already knew the answer.

“Of everything.”

She could see Ruby take in a deep breath, then turn her gaze towards the horizon too, both of them knowing it was a question of a handful of minutes before the morning sun would greet them. But before it did, Ruby’s voice rose again, soft but insistent.

“How about you spend the day at my place?”

It made her snort, but she still graced the brunette with a glance, shaking her head gently.

“I’m a vampire, Ruby. I don’t belong in your home.”

“Well, you don’t belong in the sun either.”

Gritting her teeth at the comment, her hands curled in tight fists as the only thing she wanted to do was scream. But the feeling of something warm wrapping around her fist brought her attention back, and she realised, a bit startled, that it was Ruby who took her hand, her eyes pleading.

“Get some rest,” the woman was insisting, squeezing gently. “Then I’ll walk you home at dusk. And then you’ll never hear from me again if it’s what you want, just please. Let me help you.”

Taking in the woman’s expression, how she was biting her lips nervously, her eyes filled with hope as she kept glancing back and forth between the horizon and her, she released a sigh, turning her eyes to the horizon too, her fist uncurling and her hand sitting comfortably in Ruby’s.

Gods, how warm it was, too.

“Sometimes, I can almost remember how it feels like,” she murmured, closing her eyes.

“What? The sun?” the lycan asked, her hand holding hers a bit more tightly.

“Yes,” she breathed. “But it seems to elude me just when I’m about to put my finger on it.”

“Weiss,” Ruby’s voice is tight, pressing. “We really have to go.”

Opening her eyes again, it felt like a task to do so, her surroundings suddenly too bright, and she felt so hot and weak that she nearly fell to her knees with the faintest pull on her hand from Ruby.

The brunette, however, had her eyes wide open in telling panic, frantically glancing back and forth from her to the horizon.

And then nothing.

She woke up sometime later, the world around her swirling and jerking around as she heard some kind of crashing, a noise of panting in her ear tickling strands of hair from her face, then a loud, feminine voice resonating, one that wasn’t Ruby’s.

“What the _hell_?”

Against her ear, she heard the low mumble of someone, her mind registering it as Ruby as she felt being tossed around, feeling weightless but heavy at the same time.

“Hang on, Weiss,” she vaguely heard Ruby murmur to her, right in her ear.

It made her eyes crack open.

They were inside a house now, because she could see the wooden walls and the ceiling around her, and when she caught sight of a trail of smoke rising in the air, she followed it down to her left arm, exposed.

Ruby didn’t have time to bring them inside before sunup, apparently.

Her arm was burnt all the way to the bone, and when she let out a whimper at the sight, she felt something strange on her face, and she was halfway from bringing a hand to it that Ruby caught it gently.

“It’s going to be okay,” she heard the brunette’s reassuring voice in her ear, and she relaxed.

She still didn’t know if it was from the exhaustion or from the pain, but she passed out in Ruby’s arm as the girl was carrying her bridal style across the house.

****

When she woke up again, she knew it was hours later, her entire being was hurting, and she felt _warm_.

Groaning at the slightest movement she made, she cracked her eyes open, her head pounding in synch with the slow beating of her heart, and she realised the room she was in was dark, except for one string of light filtering in that the curtains couldn’t quite block.

She also realised that, if left alone, this light would land straight on her, if not for Ruby shielding her with her body, fast asleep beside her.

The bed was small, that she realised when she tried to move away from the young woman and found out she _couldn’t_, pressed against the wall for Ruby to have enough space to lay on her side.

She had wondered why she felt so warm. It had been centuries since she last felt it.

Making sure Ruby was deep in her slumber, she snuggled closer, selfishly soaking in the girl’s warmth, only to be proven a very, _very_ bad idea when her eyes landed on the woman’s naked neck.

And she could see, powder-blue and snaking just under the woman’s skin, a vein.

As she thought she wouldn’t need to feed properly again last night before venturing in the woods, she had barely took her portion of blood before leaving, and now that she had used her vital force to heal the burning from the sun, she was starving.

And if there was one thing that she hated of herself, it was that even if she had been well-fed during the day, if she had the possibility of feeding straight from someone’s neck, she kind of lacked self-control.

She remembered how her father had chastised her about this. They had taken to simply drink blood from recipients, with the blood taken from the human cattle beforehand, saying that biting directly from them was barbaric and outdated.

She had a growing suspicion it was also because she would kill the cattle as it was coming in, and more than once he found her in the stables sprawled on the floor, high as a mountain as the body of the human laid beside her, drained until the last drop of blood.

And now, her attention had zeroed on this single, fragile vein on this innocent woman’s neck.

And maybe she made a sound or held her breath or tensed, but Ruby woke up at that moment, blinking the sleep from her silver eyes and settling them on her, before freezing, completely still.

Even if she screamed at herself to leave her alone, she pounced, grabbing the poor woman’s wrists and straddling her waist, her breaths coming out in uneven pants as she shook, her blood boiling in her veins for a whole different reason.

And Ruby simply stared, her eyes wide, and didn’t even make any attempts to get away.

A low growl left her throat, and she hated every second of it as her body had a mind of its own, lowering her head to sniff to woman’s skin like a bloodhound, already feeling her fangs growing, her mouth watering.

One of her hands left Ruby’s wrists and gently, almost tenderly grasped the brunette’s chin, turning her head to the side and offering her neck without an ounce of resistance, and right before her eyes, she saw Ruby’s pulse jump against her neck.

Trailing a nail along the underjaw of the woman and raising goosebumps in her wake, she leaned closer, close enough to feel the woman’s warmth against her lips, close enough that if she closed her eyes and listened, she could have heard blood rushing in those beautiful veins.

She released a hot breath against the patch of skin there, wondering how it would taste like. A lycan’s blood was hardly something she had ever tasted, but judging by the scent oozing off the woman, it would hold a strong taste, muskier, wild.

Just before diving in, she glanced up to Ruby’s eyes, seeing their light dimmed, her pupils strangely dilated and blown wide.

It made her pause. Made her realise that her spell was working even on lycans.

Made her realise that Ruby was as much a willing victim as she was.

Then, in a split second of lucidity, she brought her hand up a bit down hard on her fingers.

In a flash the spell was broken as she yowled, tasting her own coppery and stale blood as she threw herself against the wall, and she heard Ruby scramble to the floor and landing with a dull thud as she wrapped herself in a blanket, keeping her forehead pressed painfully against the wall.

“I need to feed,” she growled through her fingers, curling up in a ball under the blankets.

A silence stretched behind her, and she heard a quiet rustling, Ruby seemingly picking herself from the floor.

“Are you-” the woman started, foolishly.

“I need to _feed_!” She hissed this time, glowering over her shoulder for just a second, and she knew her eyes glowed with a malevolent light as she did.

The lycan didn’t need much more than that to run out the room, the door slamming closed behind her.

As she kept munching on her fingers to distract herself from the all-consuming hunger she was feeling now, she couldn’t help but feel a pinprick a pride swell in her chest.

For the first time in her life, she had resisted from this mind-numbing impulse. Maybe she could do it again.

But not before the next century. It had taken her everything she had, already.

****

A knock on the door sometime later brought her attention back to present, and she perked her head, waiting.

“Uh, Weiss?” Ruby’s voice sounded, hesitant, through the door. “I don’t know if it’s alright, but I brought this?”

The door opened, and a slightly trembling hand came into view, holding a tall glass filled with some kind of red liquid.

Her hunger returned tenfold.

Before she knew it, she was standing and snatching the glass from Ruby’s hand, the door closing hastily once the glass was taken from the woman’s hand, and she avidly drank the blood, taking a handful of swallows before grimacing.

“This is animal blood,” she almost retched upon realising, staring at the last contents of the glass with disdain.

A quiet scoff sounded from the other side of the door.

“I couldn’t just run up to the first human I saw and ask them for their blood, now, could I?”

Scrunching her nose, she still hummed in agreement and downed the rest of the glass, finding she could still use another one of this but her hunger was sated, for now.

Sighing with satisfaction as her stomach wasn’t constricting on itself anymore, the door cracked open, and a sliver of silver eye was seen, guarded.

“Are you okay now? Can I open the door?”

Still the door opened and Ruby cautiously poked her head inside, and in the opening, she could see someone else behind her, a flash of gold going back and forth and trying to see inside.

“Ruby, move over! I want to see what she looks like, I’ve never seen a vampire!”

With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Ruby opened the door wider and a woman taller than Ruby came into view, a river of golden curls cascading down the woman’s shoulders and her lavender eyes landed on her, taking her in.

“Geez, you’re, like, super pale.”

Feeling her eye twitch as the hold she had on the glass tightened, the blonde started giggling like a child before waving a hand at her, grinning like an idiot.

“Oh wait, wait, I’ve got a better one – Are you afraid of the sun or something?”

As the blonde cackled at her own joke, she turned her eyes to Ruby, who looked every part like a regretful mother in front of their misbehaving child.

“So that’s the sister,” she accurately guessed, making the brunette sigh heavily, glancing over her shoulder at the blonde who was still giggling and coming up with other jokes.

“Yeah, that’s my sister, Yang,” the young woman nodded, eying the blonde for a moment more. “Are you really okay? Do you need more?”

Lowering her eyes to the glass, she shook her head, returning it silently.

“This is sufficient, for the moment.”

Cautiously taking the glass as her silver eyes stared at her for a moment more, she couldn’t blame the poor girl to be suspicious like this. After all, she very nearly drained all life from her this very morning.

“If you need more, tell me,” Ruby quietly insisted, but then she glanced away, probably at a window. “There’s still a couple of hours before sundown. You can go back to sleep if you want, that’s probably what I’ll do too.”

“Oh BRB people, I’ll just be burying all the garlic we have!” They heard Yang say somewhere in the back.

And then Ruby closed her eyes, sighing exasperatedly again, and she couldn’t help the chuckle leaving her lips at that.

****

Heeding Ruby’s advice, she returned to bed, making herself as small as possible to leave enough space for Ruby, but the young woman simply laid down on the floor this time, not even bothering taking a blanket or a pillow.

Guilt knotted her gut and remorse plagued her head as she curled up on the woman’s bed, unable to warm it even though she couldn’t feel the cold.

Still, she was woken up later when the sun was setting, by an obnoxiously loud banging on the door and someone mockingly howling on the other side of the door.

“It’s time to get up, kids!” They heard Yang yell. “The sun is down and it’s time to party!”

The groaned Ruby let out didn’t have words to do justice to how annoyed she sounded.

“Do you really need to do this?” The brunette shouted, throwing the first thing that fell under her hand against the door. It was a shoe.

“Yes, Ruby my dear, embarrassing you in front of your friends even if you know them for less than a day is my favorite thing to do. Now up!”

Rolling her eyes, Ruby did as asked, going for the window to push the curtain aside for them to see that, indeed, the sun had just set, the remnant glow of the day dimming in the darkening sky.

They found themselves outside, her still in her ripped shirt for she didn’t have a change of clothes but Ruby was wearing some kind of oversized and extensible clothes, something that wouldn’t rip to shreds if she turned. Which she probably will do, since the young woman was practically vibrating with nerves every time she did stayed still for a second.

As her and Ruby were about to set out towards the woods, Yang waved at them, starting the other way and towards town.

“Have fun! And please, Ruby; don’t bring any more vampires home. I nearly had a heart attack this morning.”

“Wait, you’re not coming?” The brunette sounded surprised, and a bit reluctant to see her go.

“Hey, you think witches don’t have things to do on full moon nights?” The blonde merely said.

“Oh. So you prefer spending the full moon night with Blake instead of your adorable, lovely little sister? Well, I guess I don’t have cute ears and a smile to die for…” Ruby managed to sound truthfully hurt, and she would have bought it if it wasn’t followed by a knowing wink, one that was preceded by a hard shove from her sister.

“Shut up!” Yang rolled her eyes, but a soft blush was coloring the taller sister’s cheeks. “You know I would normally, but since you’ve got your friend here I thought I’d swing by Blake’s place tonight.”

“Mhm. ‘Swing’ by, huh?”

Another shove made the brunette laugh as Yang spun on her heels and left, mumbling things under her breath that Ruby’s laughter made impossible to hear, and soon they were alone together as the brunette was awkwardly shifting in place, wringing her hands together.

After what happened earlier, she could only understand that Ruby was a bit afraid to be left alone with her.

“It’s alright, Ruby,” she said softly, meaning it with all her being. “You don’t have to walk me back if you don’t want to. I understand.”

The brunette seemed to hesitate, and for a moment she was sure Ruby would tell her to leave alone, and she braced herself for it.

After all, she wasn’t really a people person. Obviously. She spent most of her time alone, and wouldn’t mind if she remained alone.

“No, it’s okay,” Ruby finally said, apparently taking a decision and standing by it. “I told you I would walk you back.”

Blinking as the brunette started towards the forest, she wondered why she felt so relieved. Maybe she was just so used of people letting her go or forgetting her that she expecting Ruby to do the same.

She was glad. Some kind of warmth sparked to life in her cold, empty chest, and she finally followed after Ruby, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

It wasn’t until they entered the treeline that she had enough of the silence stretching between them, and she made a point of joining Ruby, walking side by side, because for the next part, she needed to see the look in her eyes.

“Ruby,” she softly let out, and the brunette hummed quietly, looking up at her. Taking in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, and even knew she didn’t like apologising, she knew she had to. “I’m… really sorry. About this morning. I’m sorry I scared you.”

A flash of recognition passed in the woman’s silver eyes and she turned her attention to the ground as they walked, her lips pinched thoughtfully.

“It’s fine,” Ruby finally said.

It made her scoff as she blinked, not believing this girl.

“It’s _not_ fine. I could have killed you, I _would _have killed you.”

Shrugging a single shoulder, the brunette made a quiet sound, halfway between a hum and a huff.

“I don’t think you would have.”

“How could you know?” She asked bitterly, throwing her hands in the air. “You don’t even know me!”

“Well,” the brunette stopped and turned, staring at her with her silver eyes, and with the moon light catching in it, it almost looked like mirrors. “You stopped, didn’t you? And you’re apologising. That has to count for something, right?”

Opening her mouth but her retort dying on her lips, she closed it soundlessly, blinking as she was left speechless.

She just _admitted_ that she could have killed her, and what did this girl did? Dismissed it?

“Look, I get it; you’re a big, bad vampire,” Ruby was continuing, starting to walk again. “But I’m sure you’re not as bad as you think you are.”

Blinking again as she stared at the brunette’s back slowly getting away, her body moved on its own, starting walking again in the young woman’s wake, her brain shut down for a moment.

Taking advantage of the silence, Ruby glanced over her shoulder, her dark hair creating dark curtains around her pale face in the dark, but she could still see her smile, encouragingly.

“I don’t have any friends to hang out with at night, so… Don’t be up and out at dawn? It would be fun to hang out together, no?”

Stopping again as she stared at this… She didn’t even know what to call her. Crazy maybe, to be friends with her mortal enemy. Delirious, careless, reckless she could add too. The nerve of this woman, to be friends with her, a vampire, that very nearly killed her this very morning.

And yet, she was glad for this very obvious olive branch. Ruby was offering her a reason to stay, and as the woman was offering a hesitant smile, silently hopeful, she wondered if she should take it.

“I’m not making any promises,” she finally replied. “But… I might stay for a while longer.”

Oh, the smile the woman gave her in response. It was brighter than the sun itself, and she could actually look at it without it rending her blind.

As they both continued their walk, she found herself lighter than earlier and, on her lips, a soft, easy smile pulled them.

What was the harm in trying to be friends, anyway?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH I forgot!  
The title! It's a song! Haha, who would have known...
> 
> Anyway, here's A sky full of song, by Florence and the machine  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TSiB9OuVM

It was a simple thing, really. A friend. In essence, it was someone to talk to, someone to spend time with.

And yet, she found herself excited whenever she woke up to see the sun had set. Threw covers and blankets aside to run up to the window and toss the curtains aside. Lately, she came back to life with every sunset, waited until the sky was dark before changing and tumbling down the stairs and all but ran outside.

Ruby not only was her only friend, but gave her something to do, something to look forward to every night; sometimes it wasn’t for long, other times when the moon was full, it was for its entire length.

But tonight, however, she wanted to spend it alone. Her mood had soured when her father came to her, noticing that she was less and less present for the family gatherings, which would be dinner if they actually ate food.

Any traces of her good mood had been obliterated as soon as her father had ordered her to come downstairs, and it had ended in an argument. Again.

He had slapped her after she told him that even if he kept parading in his vampire form, he would never be a true vampire. She didn’t regret it one bit, and it hadn’t hurt much, but it had hurt her pride much more than her.

As she laid sprawled on her bed, the curtains pulled to the side to let the moonlight filter down on her, she wondered shortly if Ruby would spend a long time searching for her. Or if she would search for her at all.

Closing her eyes with a sigh, she was ready to let it go, willing herself to not be so bitter if Ruby didn’t spend much time looking for her, wondering if she would ever have the courage to stand outside at dawn again.

Until a strange howling sounded from outside, muffled by the window.

At first thinking it was just an owl being obnoxious as it was close, she didn’t mind much. But when the howling came, again and again, growing louder and louder, it made her frown as she sat up in her bed, staring out the window.

If she were just a human, she probably wouldn’t have seen it. But her sharp eyes could see far and wide, and even with the distance, she could see, not too far from the treeline and mostly hidden amidst the tall grass, a tall, large wolf awkwardly howling to the moon, but somehow trying to be quiet about it.

Her stomach dropped when she saw her. Because _of course_ it was Ruby.

Not bothering changing into something more comfortable than her nightgown, she hastily opened the window large enough for her to work her way outside, fear running wild in her mind at the thought of her father noticing a lone lycan on his land, and she took the form that brought so much pride to her father, stretching her wings and took flight as silently as she could.

She interrupted Ruby mid-howling when the lycan spotted her in the dark sky, and she noticed how her tall, fluffy ears perked up, how the long and massive tail started wagging happily as Ruby recognised her scent, but she wasn’t about to let her turn back with just a pat on the back.

Setting her jaw as she changed course of her flight, dead-set on Ruby, she could see how the lycan’s ears comically fell down when Ruby understood she wasn’t slowing down.

With one last flutter of her wings, she rammed into the massive werewolf mercilessly, ignoring the loud groan right in her ear and instead forcing them to disappear through the treeline, out of sight.

She hoped, _prayed_, that no one came looking for this very insistent howling.

Finally out of sight, she folded her wings snuggly against her back, mindful of her claws, and let them roll around on the ground, rising dust and leaves and broken branches in their wake.

Their tumble came to a stop with Ruby letting out a pathetic whimper when her back hit against the foot of a tree, and she was quick to jump to her feet, standing so much taller in this form than she did normally, using her wings to appear more imposing as she stared down imperiously.

“What are you _doing_ here?” She hissed, her voice resonating against the trees even if she hadn’t meant to speak loudly. “Do you just wish for my father to find you? Do you know what he’ll do if he even _smells_ your scent?!”

The wolf whimpered again, doing this high-pitched whine a puppy would in search of mercy, but she had none of it. She was just on the edge of pulling her hair out in worry as she took a second to listen behind them to any suspicious flap of wings or rustle of leaves, and she nearly hissed in annoyance when she felt a wet snout nuzzling the palm of her hand.

“Are you so oblivious you think Father would let you go if he sees you?” She returned to her scolding, returning her attention on the lycan that was presently making puppy-eyes at her. “Even Whitley would sound the alarms!”

The massive werewolf’s frame shrunk then, turning into the young woman she had grown so fond of over the past weeks, and Ruby sighed then, rubbing a hand to her head with a sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry, Weiss,” the woman had the _grace _to apologise, even though she didn’t look that sorry. “Just calm down, okay?”

If anything, her fury only grew, her eyes almost spitting fire as she took more space with her wings, definitely towering over the poor woman.

“‘Calm down’?” She repeated in a hiss. “I’m trying to make you understand how dangerous what you did was! What were you even doing on the castle’s grounds, didn’t your father tell you not to go near it?”

“I know, I’m… I’m really sorry if I worried you,” the brunette finally mumbled, and this time she did look the part, her gaze lowered to the ground. “I was searching for you, I thought… I feared I wouldn’t see you again,” Ruby finished in a mumble, scratching a patch of dried mud on her cheek with a lone finger.

She finally understood why Ruby had taken such risks, and upon realisation, she turned back in her normal form, never minding the large holes her wings had made in the back of her nightgown, and with a breathless huff, she fell to her knees, quickly pulling the lycan into her arms and holding her firmly against her.

She was greeted by Ruby’s strong hold in the blink of an eye, the brunette returning the embrace with just the same intensity.

But even if she buried her face in the lycan’s hair, she couldn’t help the last wave of irritation flooding her.

“You oblivious fool,” she muttered in Ruby’s ear, wearing a frown on her face. “You reckless imbecile, if you ever do that again, I swear to the Gods, _I_ will have your hide.”

Somehow, it made Ruby chuckle warmly against her as her hold tightened, and she took in a deep breath, inhaling the strong scent of the lycan.

“Understood?” She added for good measure, although it was a lot softer than she intended it to be.

“Understood,” Ruby murmured in her ear in the same way.

Ignoring the way her hot breath made the hairs at the base of her neck rise on end, they both pulled away at the same time, and only now did Ruby seem to notice that she was still in her nightgown. Her features scrunched up a bit as her silver eyes went back up to her face.

“Why didn’t you change?”

“Oh why, because there wasn’t some dolt yelling for attention on the castle’s grounds! If not, I’d have all the time to change!”

Again, Ruby seemed to shrink, and even if she didn’t have the appendage anymore, she could almost see the tall, fluffy ears droop on top of her head.

Still, she huffed the last of her annoyance and instead sat down beside Ruby, leaning her back against the tree and brushing her hair out of her face. It was undone, and she had forgotten her hairband on the nightstand.

“Also, I didn’t plan to go out, tonight,” she added, much more quietly as she brought her knees to her chest.

“Really?” The brunette sounded genuinely surprised, turning a bit more to her. “Why?”

Huddling closer on herself, she simply huffed, looping her arms around her knees.

“I had a fight with Father,” she muttered, unhappy. “Again.”

“Oh.”

Letting a silence hover over them for a moment, Ruby shifted just a bit closer, their arms touching, and sharing her warmth. If anything, Ruby seemed always willing to warm her up, her beast blood rending her unnaturally hot all the time.

But when Ruby didn’t seem in the mood to press the issue, they stayed in this comfortable silence, listening to the wind rustling the leaves above them, simply content to be in each other’s company.

“I had a bad day, today,” Ruby suddenly let out, quietly, her eyes still staring out to the woods.

She turned to the brunette, utterly surprised. Sure, they didn’t know each other for very long, but so far Ruby _never_ had a bad day. She had irritations, like everybody else, but she always walked the positive side of life, making the best out of everything.

So for her, to say that she had a bad day, meant that it was _really bad._

“What happened?”

She regarded Ruby with all the seriousness of the world, wondering what went so wrong that Ruby herself couldn’t somehow make something good out of it, but the brunette shifted under her stare, shrugging a single shoulder.

“It’s not much, I mean I’m not always fighting with my dad or Yang or anything like that-”

“Ruby,” she interrupted gently. “It can be the tiniest thing, but if for you it made it a bad day, then it’s as valid as me saying that I have one. You’re allowed to have bad days too, you know.”

The lycan stayed silent then, her jaw working for a moment as she toyed with a tall leaf, pulling on it until she was just shy of ripping it.

“It’s just…” Ruby quietly started, her brows drawn close. “Yang mentioned I had a vampire friend in front of Dad this morning…”

“Oh no,” she breathed, her eyes already widening in horror. “He must have been so mad!”

But as the silence stretched again, the brunette’s jaw working again until it was set, Ruby let out a short, tired sigh, leaning her head back to look up at the patch of starlit sky they could see.

“If only,” Ruby murmured to herself. “You see, when we had to move from Patch… I guess it hurt him more than we thought. We were traveling with our uncle Qrow, and it was him that suggested coming here. But then Dad warned us about Beacon’s tower, and, well…”

Taking in a deep breath, she could see how the young woman was toying with the leaf, weaving it through her fingers restlessly, always in movement, and after a moment Ruby shrugged again, shortly.

“Before we arrived here, Dad kind of… shut down, as Yang says. I heard her say that he was doing it ‘again’. She’s, ah… I’ve never seen her like this. She loves Dad, of course, but she’s really angry at him for ‘doing it again’. Anyway, so she’s teasing me about my vampire friend, and she makes a face because she knows we’re not allowed near Beacon, but Dad...”

Shrugging again, this time Ruby let out a trembling breath, and she could hear the soft hitch in her breath when the brunette spoke again.

“I don’t think he even heard what we were saying. I don’t think he even _knows_ what’s going on around him, he’s just… there. I expected at least a warning glare, I… I expected _something_, anything at all. But he looks like he just don’t care.”

This time, the leaf was ripped from its bush, and after glancing at it Ruby merely threw it away, reaching over to pull on another leaf.

“Yang tells me not to mind too much. She says he doesn’t mean to be like this, but… I asked her if he doesn’t mean to be like this, then why _is _he like this? She said she didn’t know. And I know she’ll never blame me for this, but… I mean, if he’s like this because we left, then it’s because of me. _I’m_ the reason we had to leave.”

“Ruby-” She tried.

“It _is_!” The brunette sharply interrupted, her jaw stubbornly set and crushing the leaf in her hand as she did. “If I had _listened_ for once, if I had been careful for once, then none of it would have happened, and Dad wouldn’t be like this!”

In the residual silence her exclamation created, a soft breeze blew, making the leaves and bushes rustling overhead, and Ruby closed her eyes then, visibly trying to calm down with the soothing sound.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” she said quietly, not really knowing what else to say.

It made Ruby huff, at least, the corner of her lips lifting in a slight smirk as her silver eyes turned to her, and even if they looked tired and sad, she could still see a flash of gratefulness in them.

“I’m glad I’m here, too,” the lycan murmured, the small smile staying on her lips.

Returning the smile with one of her own, she turned her attention to her surroundings as she could still feel Ruby’s eyes on her, but before it became really awkward, the brunette looked away, taking in a sharp breath.

“Do you really need to get home tonight?”

Blinking at the odd question, she looked back at her friend, puzzled, as Ruby pinched her lips for a second.

“Well… This morning?” She tried, narrowing her eyes in thoughts. “Anyway. Do you have something planned tomorrow?” She asked instead.

“Uh…” She dumbly let out, blinking again. “No. I guess not.”

Nodding, Ruby toyed with her fingers.

“Do you wanna come over?”

“What?”

“Do you want to hang out at my place?” Ruby rephrased instead, scratching her cheek with a finger. “We could play board games and… other stuff. We could hang out longer. You could sleep at my place, too.”

Giving the brunette a sidelong glance, she cautiously straightened her back, unsure.

“Are you sure your sister won’t mind?” She had to make sure. She didn’t want to have to turn tail because someone didn’t want her there. “Or your father?”

“Dad won’t even notice you’re there,” Ruby remarked dryly. “As for Yang, I’m sure she won’t mind. I mean, Blake is over all the time. Hey! You could meet Blake, too!”

“The witch?” She asked, doubtful. “Can I ask just _how_ a lycan and a witch met, by the way?”

Instantly Ruby perked up, finding her smile again as she was already giggling.

“That’s actually a funny story! Buuut I’ll tell you on the way. So, what do you say? Doesn’t it sound fun?”

The hopeful smile Ruby was sending her way melted the last barrier she had, making her push aside the doubts and return the woman’s smile, offering a nod.

As it was settled, she told Ruby to stay there while she went back to the castle to take a change of clothes and, while she was there, didn’t forget to take a handful of the vials waiting for her to consume, holding a deep red liquid that she carefully stored in a leather bag with her clothes. Then, just before leaving, she downed one, just to settle her hunger.

She was back with Ruby in no time, the lycan pacing back and forth almost nervously hidden away in the forest, but her smile was bright when her silver eyes landed on her.

“Hey there! Welcome back! Oh, and uh… Do you have… the goods?”

“Right here,” she patted the bag lightly, reassuring Ruby as she did. “Don’t worry. I’m not going unprepared.”

“Okay,” the young woman smiled. “Let’s go, then!”

Ruby kept on babbling about this and that all the way and she was just content to listen to her, chuckling and laughing merrily along to the lycan’s story, and just that, just the trek to Ruby’s house would be a great night in her book. But apparently there was more.

She had thought no one would be up in the house when they arrived, for dawn was just around the corner, but when Ruby opened the door, the smell of something cooking met her nose, and she scrunch it, the smell assaulting her fine senses.

Behind the stove, Yang glanced back at them, a large smile appearing on her lips.

“Hey Weiss you made it!” The blonde turned to them as she wiped her hands on a hand towel. “Here I was, losing hope.”

“So you’re Ruby’s vampire,” another voice added, feminine and calm and almost indifferent, right beside them.

Sharply turning to the new voice, she saw another woman there, staring at her attentively with her golden eyes, one lazy cat ear atop her head flicking amidst pitch-black hair.

“I belong to no one,” she almost growled back, bristling.

“She didn’t mean-” Ruby started beside her, frantic.

“My mistake,” who only had to be Blake interrupted, keeping their eyes locked as her golden eyes were studying her, intensely. “You’re no one’s vampire but your own, I get it.”

Feeling her eye twitch at the gall of this woman, she watched as Blake slowly stood and, without breaking eye contact, stepped closer, her delicate eyebrows furrowing a bit as she brought a long, slender finger to her chin in thought.

“I imagined you taller,” the cat faunus suddenly let out, before talking over her shoulder back at Yang. “Aren’t vampires supposed to be tall and mysterious?”

“Well that’s just what witches do,” she hissed out, not liking at all this supposed witch. “They assume things.”

They way Blake slowly turned back to her, the soft expression on her face nowhere to be seen now, was a telltale sign that her comment had struck a chord and behind the faunus, they head Yang blow a long breath out, the blonde leaning her fist on the table.

“Wow, off to a good start! Anyway, I made breakfast!”

As the three other women ate, she spent her time sitting at the table with her arms crossed, and openly staring at Blake, who was only willing to participate in this staring contest. Meanwhile, Ruby and Yang were making faces in turn, trying to make them laugh or at least smile, and finally it was Blake that cracked.

After one too many funny faces Ruby made, the corner of the witch’s lips twitched, and seeing this opening, Yang jumped in, the sisters working in pair and finally making the witch laugh, her golden eyes lowering to her still full plate of fried eggs.

She smiled too, self-satisfied about knowing she wasn’t the one who cracked first.

But then she saw, in the corner of her eyes, narrowed silver eyes directed straight at her, and she felt herself shrunk in her chair, actively avoiding Ruby’s stare.

After breakfast was done, the sisters deemed it too early for a ‘friendly’ game of whatever board game they had, as Blake and her were still sending glares the other’s way, so while she was storing the vials she had brought in the fridge, she heard the sisters rummaging in another room.

“Hey Weiss?” Ruby called. “Do you wanna watch a movie?”

Furrowing her brows at the question, she tilted her head curiously, aligning the vials perfectly on the shelf.

“A moon-vie?” She asked in return, confused. “What’s that?”

There was a short silence coming from the other room.

“N-no, a ‘movie’,” Ruby said, applying herself to speak the word slowly. “You know what it is, right?”

There was so much hope in the question that she paused for a moment, weighting her options.

“Of course I know what a… a ‘moovies’ is!”

Upon hearing a quiet ‘ohmigosh’ coming from the next room, she knew her bluff had been called, and she felt her shoulders droop, releasing a small sigh.

Even if she existed for more than two hundred years, apparently there were still things that she didn’t know about.

“Can you come over here a minute?” The brunette finally said.

Rolling her eyes as she finished disposing of her vials, she merely tossed her bag in Ruby’s room, seeing it land with a muted thud on the bed, before making her way to the living room and preparing to face her doom, or whatever. The three other women were waiting on her apparently, but something behind the sisters instantly caught her attention as she gasped loudly, her eyes widening.

“Ruby!” She all but breathed, awe audible in her voice.

The brunette, taken aback by her reaction, froze, her arms held in mid-air as she quickly glanced around, trying to find what had caught her attention like this.

“What is it?”

“The pictures!” She quietly let out, taking a couple of steps closer to the woman, searching for reassurance. “They’re _moving_!”

The three other woman turned in synch to this… this… magic box.

“That’s just the TV,” Yang slowly let out.

“A Television?” Ruby added, unsure.

“But the pictures are moving!” She said again, transfixed and completely focused about what was happening on this so called ‘TV’.

“That’s not… That’s not pictures, sweets, that’s, uh…” Yang gently started, before stopping and scratching the back of her head, unsure.

Blake, observing the situation unfold from her sprawled position on the couch, took some kind of black rectangle with buttons on it and pressed one, and then there were _sounds_ coming out of the moving pictures, making her gasp loudly again.

“It _speaks_!” She excitedly let out, shaking Ruby’s arm for emphasis.

“I take it you don’t have TVs at home,” the brunette softly chuckled, patting her hand.

“What do you do with your time if you don’t have a TV, then?” Blake asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“I-” She blinked, unfocused to the question as she was trying to listen to what the TV was saying. “Read books, ponder what it means to live eternally, what it means to be a vampire, I suppose… I don’t know what Father does, but I just spend my time trying to leave the castle.”

There was a short silence as the sisters shared a glance, both of them with the same scheming look in their eyes, and for a second it caught her attention as she eyed them suspiciously.

“How old are you again?” Ruby was the one to ask, turning her attention to her.

That made her eyes narrow as she all but jerked her hand away from Ruby’s arm, already bristling.

“Are you going to mock me?” She asked haughtily, a frown already scrunching her features.

“No!” The brunette was quick to assure, raising her hands in front of her in a peaceful manner. “No, I’m just curious if you know what a phone is.”

The scoff she let out was harsh and outraged, and she already could feel anger pooling in the pit of her stomach.

“Of course I know what a phone is!” She snapped back, irritated. “Are you trying to insult my intelligence?”

“No!” Ruby had the audacity to _laugh_ in her face, and as she did, she reached for something in her pocket. “I just wanted to let you know, but this is today’s phone.”

Staring at what Ruby was presenting her, it was, once again, a thin rectangle of blackness, and she was _really_ wondering if her friend was taking her for the most empty-headed fool the town had.

“This is not a phone. A phone is this massive thing that has a wire, and it comes with two separate pieces, one that you talk into and the other you press it against your ear and _maybe_ you can hear what the other is saying if the weather is nice.”

The silence following her description was light, and she could tell that Yang was on the verge of laughing, but she ignored it, knowing she was right as she crossed her arms. She had used one in her youth so many times, she could draw one from memory if someone asked her to.

“How old are you?”

If Yang and even Blake were just a hair away from laughing, Ruby was serious, or more seriously curious as her head was tilted to the side, her attention solely on her.

Letting out a huff, she hesitated for a few seconds more, but eventually she let go.

“Two hundred and fifty years,” she mumbled, a bit embarrassed. “Well, forty-eight, but what’s two years in the life of a vampire?”

When this information was only met with a quiet hum from the brunette, she shifted in place, and if she were still human, she guessed she would have blushed.

“Don’t laugh, I know it’s quite young for a vampire,” she mumbled, scratching the floor with the tip of her shoe. “The ones in the east are thousands of years old, and-”

“Weiss,” Ruby gently interrupted, touching her elbow. “It’s fine. I don’t care how old you are.”

The gentle reassurance felt like a warm blanket had been draped across her shoulders, and she found herself smiling as she stared at the ground, still rubbing the tip of her shoe against the floor. Still, the comfortable silence was broken when Yang almost awkwardly cleared her throat, winking at Ruby just as she looked up.

“I’m gonna go in town and… do the thing,” the blonde said with meaning, gesturing to the rectangle Ruby was still holding.

Ruby gave her a quick nod and Yang was out the door, running away as if she was on fire, and she stared to where the blonde had disappeared, a bit concerned as to why she left in such a hurry. But when she looked back at Ruby, questioning, the brunette simply winked, raising a single finger in a waiting manner.

Confused, she blinked, and in last resort she turned to Blake, who was observing them with a smile, a mischievous glint in her golden eyes as she did the _exact_ same mannerism as Ruby.

Feeling her eye twitch, she was about to let her displeasure be know when _something_ sounded, not coming from the TV but from the rectangle Ruby was still holding.

Bemused, she watched as the brunette pressed on the lit up rectangle, before bringing it to her ear with a mile wide smile, winking again at her.

“Hi, hang on,” Ruby merely said, before offering the rectangle to her. “Here, you put this part to your ear, and you speak there,” the brunette quickly explained, pointing the two ends of the rectangle.

Cautious, she still brought the rectangle to her ear, and upon seeing Ruby make insistent gestures, rolled her eyes a bit, indulging once again.

“Um… Hello?”

“Hey there Weiss!”

Startled at how clear the voice was in her ear, she made a tiny sound of surprise, but then her eyes widened as she brought a hand to her mouth, gasping.

“Goodness, it _is_ a phone!”

Yang’s laughter against her ear sounded in synch with Ruby’s happy one.

“It doesn’t even have a wire!” She was enchanted, holding the device with both hands. “And it’s so small!”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Yang sounded so pleased, she surely had the same smile on her lips that Ruby had at present in front of her.

“It’s incredible!” She nodded, excited.

“Wait, there’s more!” The blonde said happily.

“More?”

When she turned confused eyes to Ruby, the brunette gestured for her phone back, and as she gave it she was vaguely aware of Blake leaving, the door closing silently as Ruby pressed closer to her, turning the rectangle so she could see the lit up screen.

After a moment, an image appeared, and it showed Yang outside, standing in front of some kind of statue.

“Oh that’s sweet,” she quietly commented to Ruby. “You have a picture of your sister!”

But then the picture _moved_, and Yang smiled, entirely too pleased with herself and she gasped again, grabbing Ruby’s arm in alarm, sinking her fingers in the woman’s skin.

“Ruby, your sister is trapped in your phone!” She exclaimed, horrified. “We have to get her out of there!”

From the phone, they heard Yang laughing and it showed the blonde bringing a hand to her chest in an endearing manner, a soft expression on her face.

“Oh you’re so precious! I’m fine, sweets, don’t worry!” Then, the blonde’s lilac eyes shifted, going to stare at something off-screen that made her look back behind her, making Ruby chuckle. “Oh, here comes Blake! And Rubes, if you could turn the phone more to you, it’s just that I can’t see her and it’s kinda weird.”

“Oh yeah, vampire,” Ruby nodded, adjusting the phone, but she followed it as she watched intently.

They saw Yang bring a hand close, then the image was turned and Yang was nowhere to be seen, but they could see Blake approaching, waving as she got closer. As the blonde was telling the faunus what happened with a laugh, she looked up at Ruby, mesmerised and her full of wonder.

“That’s a _phone_?” She asked, somehow not believing what she was seeing.

“Yeah! That’s today’s phone!”

“Could we talk even from another country?”

“Sure! I could call you from the other side of the world, too!”

“Incredible!” She breathed out, entirely too impressed by the capacity of such a small rectangle. “Simply incredible!”

Then, as she observed it with a closer look, she pinched her lips for a second, seeing some kind of buttons on the sides of it.

“What other mysteries do you hold, you spectacular rectangle?”

She hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but she did, and the laughter that sounded came from Ruby and the phone, and she wondered if she wasn’t blushing right now, vampire blood be damned.

***

After her discovery of what a TV and a phone was, and suffering though the endless teasing of Yang on the way, they settled to watch a ‘movie’, as she leaned it was a story told with images and sounds instead of being with words.

She had been entirely too wrapped up with it, barely aware of what was going on around her, and she was holding one of the couch’s cushions, curled up around it, staring unblinking for the entire length of the movie. Ruby had taken place beside her, with Blake and Yang completing the set.

She had found the warmth Ruby was emanating soothing, the only thing catching her attention from the TV it seemed, but as time went on, she could feel the brunette putting more and more weight against her side, and near the end of the movie, she realised that Ruby was asleep on her shoulder, her breaths coming out slow and deep.

For a moment she froze, wondering what to do. Was she supposed to get away to let Ruby sleep comfortably? Or was she supposed to stay, as she was already asleep? What if the brunette woke up later with a horrible crick in the neck because she fell asleep in a weird angle-

Someone chuckling on the side brought her back to present, and carefully, without moving too much, she looked over Ruby’s hear to see Yang looking her way, an amused smile on her lips as the blonde was comfortably leaned against the corner, with Blake tucked in the crook of her shoulder, the witch appearing to be snuggling closer against the blonde.

It made her remember that Ruby still had yet to tell that story.

But as the movie was ending, and as she was comfortably weighted down by Ruby… She thought it was alright if she leaned her cheek against the brunette’s head, and as Ruby sighed in her sleep, quietly, she closed her eyes, inhaling the young woman’s scent.

She woke up hours later, felling crushed under a great weight, and when she lazily opened her eyes she could see a dark mass of hair obscuring a good portion of her vision, and the only thing she could see was a portion of the wall and a corner of the window on the neighboring wall. Trying to see over the drawn curtain, it looked like the sun had considerably lowered in the sky, and she wondered just how long she had slept.

Ruby shifted a bit against her, and she realised they were laying down on the couch, the lycan resting mostly on top of her and constricting a bit her chest as her head rested there.

She noticed that someone had thoughtfully laid a blanket over them as they slept, one that Ruby had kicked to their feet in her sleep.

She blinked lazily, wondering if she would go back to sleep if she closed her eyes, but her ears picked up what had woken her up; voices.

As she listened with one ear, she realised it was Blake and Yang, talking quietly but close enough for her to pick up what they were saying.

“…hope nothing happens this time,” Yang was sighing, and even if her voice was soft and quiet, she could still hear how tired the blonde sounded. “After what happened to Penny…”

“It was a different place,” she heard Blake add, her voice reassuring. “I don’t remember something like this ever happening here.”

A sigh sounded then, and the discreet creak of a chair as someone shifted.

“I hope you’re right. Ruby… took it very badly, for Penny…”

“I know. But it’s different this time.”

“How is it different? You sound so sure of yourself.”

“First of all, she’s a vampire. Nothing can kill her, except UV rays. I’m sure she’s not going to a tanning salon anytime soon.”

The dry sound of a slap sounded, followed by a low chuckle, one that she couldn’t tell came from whom.

“Second… It’s been years, Yang. Ruby’s… She’s stronger, now. She can take care of herself.”

A long, heavy silence followed Blake’s soft words, and she heard even with the distance the slow intake of air Yang took, then heard her exhale just as slowly, the chair creaking again.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right. I hope you are. But if Weiss ever hurts her…”

“I know.”

“I don’t even know if I can take on a vampire, though. Maybe I’ll die teaching her a lesson.”

“Don’t worry,” the witch chuckled then, and she could hear the smile in Blake’s voice. “I know a few tricks that work against vampires.”

“Aw, thanks, baby! You’re the best!”

Rolling her eyes as she heard the two chuckling in the next room, she was left wondering what they had been talking about. Who was this Penny? Was it just Ruby’s friend? Her best friend? Her first love? An animal, maybe?

She closed her eyes, grimacing. Of course she knew it was a person. She had the feeling that something terrible had happened to her, and knowing that Ruby had reacted so badly…

She wondered what happened, on that island. Wondered what made them leave.

But for now, Ruby slept soundly on top of her, the lycan’s head resting on her chest and nestled under her chin, and as the brunette sighed again in her sleep, content, she dared take a good sniff of the woman’s scent.

She remembered how her father had spitted against this species, how angry it made him just to think that some still walked the same earth as him, breathed the same air as him. She remembered how he made them memorise the smell, to make sure they _never_ forgot who their enemy was.

And yet, the scent oozing off the sleeping woman on top of her was nothing like the one Father had taught them.

It was still heavy, holding a wild and earthy tone and with strong musk but…

It wasn’t just a nameless shape, now. This was Ruby.

And she knew that this scent wouldn’t bring the nightmares her father’s lessons had always brought.

Taking another long, deep sniff of the dark hair, she closed her eyes, letting herself drift back to sleep with her unanswered questions dancing in the back of her mind, waiting for another time.


	3. Chapter 3

She was sitting at the table in the kitchen with Ruby staring at her from the other side of it, her chin resting on her palm, the lycan observing her as she was drinking the contents of one of the vials.

“So you know what a fridge is, but not a TV?” The brunette asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

“Only by necessity,” she still nodded, rolling her eyes. “Do you know how hard it would be to keep the blood cold, otherwise?”

“I heard some vampires kept human cattle to feed on them,” Blake’s voice rose from the living room, out of sight.

She felt her eye twitch, and when she sent a glare towards the voice, she saw only a glimpse of a quickly retreating blonde head, and a hushed giggle.

“Weren’t you two watching a movie?” Her voice sounded dry, irritated.

“Yeah, we’re _watching_ it,” Yang this time spoke, a teasing tone in her voice. “Not listening to it.”

Rolling her eyes all the way across the ocean, she heard Ruby chuckle quietly in front of her, and it made her sigh, knowing that the question would soon come out of the brunette’s lips instead.

“Indeed, we have human cattle. I… don’t know where Father gets them.”

“Then why do you need fridges?” The lycan in front of her asked, furrowing her brows. “Can’t you just… feed on them?”

Shifting in her chair as the conversation was awfully going straight where she didn’t want it to be, she cleared her throat quietly, wetting her lips as she desperately tried to find some kind of excuse to _abort _this particular subject when, once again, Blake’s voice rose.

“I heard some vampires can grow addicted to feeding on live humans.”

This time openly glowering towards the living room, she made a point not to bare her fangs in anger as she could almost _feel_ the pleased smile on the witch’s lips.

“You know a lot of things, don’t you?” She hissed, poisonous.

A haughty huff sounded from the next room, and the faunus’ words were veiled with a threat so obvious that it made Ruby shift in her chair, uncomfortable.

“My power is knowing the weaknesses of my enemies, whoever they are. You should keep that in mind, vampire.”

Standing sharply from her seat and making the empty vial fall on its side, this time she couldn’t help but bare her fans, feeling her entire body tense.

“What does _that_ mean?”

It was a rhetorical question, of course. She damn well knew what it meant, but she wanted to stay civil, unlike someone else. So she was offering a chance for Blake to step down, or at the very least, stay silent.

As Ruby jumped to her feet and stood in front of her to stop her, she could hear in the living room Yang probably going to do the same, as a very quiet ‘Blake, no’ was heard. Still, she looked up to the brunette, who offered a small, helpless smile.

“Sorry for that,” the young woman quietly apologised, grimacing a little. “Blake can be… A bit protective, when she wants to.”

“So I see,” she merely growled back, watching over Ruby’s shoulder in case the witch came anyway.

“Now put those fangs away.”

Snapping her attention back to Ruby, she narrowed her eyes, feeling herself bristling.

“What?” She barked back at her.

“Put those fangs away… please?”

The brunette then awkwardly gestured to her own mouth, before pointing at hers, going back and forth for a moment before simply giving up, nodding to herself with a short, quiet sigh. Still, she took in a sharp, deep breath, and willed herself to calm the dizzying storm in her mind, and slowly, she felt her body relax, her fangs retracting to their original length.

Smiling proudly, Ruby dipped her head at her, silently thankful. And she was just about to return it when, over Ruby’s shoulder, she saw a dark form appearing at the end of the hallway leading to the living room, and her attention was drawn there, Ruby’s too.

Then Blake, although she didn’t say anything, pointed two fingers at her own golden eyes, then turned them to her, the meaning as clear as day.

_I’m watching you._

Every guidelines of polite etiquette snapped in a trillion pieces in her mind, and she barely had the time to step forward that Ruby caught her, wrapped an arm around her waist and hefted her off the ground, the brunette staring intently at her wrist even if she didn’t have a wristwatch.

“Oh look at the time!” The lycan was forcefully cheering, a strange, frozen smile on her lips. “Let’s go outside!”

And as they were leaving, she could hear what the other two women were saying inside, just before the door slammed close behind them.

“That was _so_ unnecessary.”

“No, it was. Now, she knows what’s up.”

“But she didn’t do anything!”

“And she’ll know not to. I love Ruby just as much as you do, you know?”

“Weren’t you the one telling me Ruby could take care of herself? Literally like, four hours ago?”

“I told you that for you. I never said anything about me.”

A resounding sigh emanated from Yang just as the door slammed shut, and Ruby continued valiantly her stoic walk towards the woods even though she was struggling like a devil under her arm.

****

“Can you let me down, now?” She mumbled, a frown firmly in place as she had her cheek resting on her closed fist, her elbow planted in the lycan’s back in silent retaliation.

Ruby took the time to climb over a fallen tree before answering, her arm still firmly in place around her waist. The brunette had thrown her over her shoulder as if she was nothing more than a sack of potatoes, and had held on all this time as she had struggled and writhed to try and free herself, in vain. Now, a silence was hovering over them for a solid ten minutes, and she tried again with her question, the first two times being rejected by a single and dry ‘no’.

“Are you going to try and run all the way back?” Ruby asked this time, her voice even. “Because I’m warning you. I’m fast.”

“I promise I won’t,” she muttered, pouting.

Instantly, the young woman bent over, and her feet finally touched ground again. Straightening her clothes as Ruby straightened her back, her silver eyes staring at her intently, she ignored her for a moment, brushing invisible dust over her clothes.

“Thank you.”

When her thanks were only met by a short hum, she looked up, guilt seeping to her mind. She _knew_ she was bad tempered, and her patience with this witch was very limited. Still, she… acknowledged that her reaction had been a bit… intense.

But before she could say anything, the brunette sighed silently, glancing away.

“Look, I get it. It’s a touchy subject, and Blake… kinda asked for it.”

It made her scoff.

“‘Kinda’!?”

“… Yeah, she _was_ asking for it.”

All the guilt that had been building up inside her vanished, melting away faster than snow in a hot summer day.

“Ha! Take that, Blake!”

It earned her a small, amused smile from Ruby, but it soon vanished, instead the brunette was grimacing a bit as she resumed their trek through the woods.

“I just… I want everyone to get along. I want my friends to get along.”

Her voice was so low, sounded so sad that the guilt came back tenfold, plaguing her as she had to jog a bit to catch up to Ruby, the lycan holding her head low, her bangs hiding her eyes.

“Well, next time tell her to behave and I will.” She quietly proposed, hoping it was enough.

Somehow, it made Ruby smile slightly, and she returned her attention in front of her, minding a rock covered in moss under her feet.

“I, for one, can be civil,” she added haughtily.

“Oh, definitely.”

Narrowing her eyes as she glanced back at the brunette, Ruby merely pulled her tongue at her, announcing as she did that she was just teasing, and the ramrod line of her shoulders relaxed, rolling her eyes in response.

They walked in silence for a moment, but this time it was comfortable. As they walked, Ruby holding out a hand to help her climb over one of the big fallen tree right between two boulders, she thought back about the situation with Blake. Pondered why she was so insistent on this particular subject. It wasn’t like Ruby never asked anything about being a vampire, but…

But they never really talked about… that.

That time where she so very nearly bit Ruby, probably to her death.

Maybe… Maybe that was what Blake was trying to do. Maybe, in a way, she wanted to warn Ruby not to get bitten. Or something.

Maybe… it needed to be addressed. Maybe it was better if the warning came from her, instead of an obnoxious witch.

Biting her lip, she mulled it over no more than a second.

“Ruby?”

The brunette looked her way, eyebrows raised questioningly as she pushed aside a bush for her.

“I… It’s a touchy subject, because I’m the one… I can’t…”

Frowning as she stopped her walk, the lycan stared, blinking, and she stopped too, not too close from her as she held herself. She hated so much this part of herself that even talking about it was hard, but she pushed through, keeping her eyes cast low.

“When I… feed on someone, I… can’t stop.”

“What do you mean you can’t stop?”

Letting out a small, annoyed huff, she shifted in place, pinching her lips for a moment.

“It means, when I bite someone, I can’t stop feeding on them until they have nothing left.”

“Oh…”

Ruby’s silver eyes went down on the ground, and a soft breeze blew in the residual silence, the quiet rustling of the wind filling the silence then.

“Honest question: why can’t you stop?” The brunette’s voice rose then, softly, her eyes returning to her.

Letting out a sigh as she felt her shoulders droop, she glanced around, trying to find someplace to sit as she felt it was going to be a long conversation, and finally found a small boulder covered in moss, and she took a seat on it, patting the space beside her. Instantly accepting the offer, Ruby sat down, but instead of staring at her straight in the eyes and embarrassing her further, her silver eyes were settled on her knee.

She was glad for it, as a weight was lifted from her chest.

“Feeding from someone feels good, it’s… intoxicating,” she started slowly, quietly. “It’s… it’s meant to be. But it can be addictive, like…” She paused, searching for an example.

“Like drinking?” Ruby proposed, her expression darkening.

“Yes, like drinking. But we can’t feed on unwilling, uh… hosts.”

“No?” The lycan sounded surprised.

“No,” she affirmed. “We have this… Father calls it ‘vampiric charm’, that can be used manually or naturally. So, if I really _want_ you to do something, I will… convince you to obey, convince your mind that you _want_ to obey. Sometimes I have to think about it, hence the manually, and other times, like when I really need to feed, it often comes naturally, without me having to think about it.”

“Oh. So like… the other day.”

“Yes,” she nodded, hanging her head low. “I’m… still very sorry about that.”

“Is it why you drink from those fancy vials, then? Because you wouldn’t stop if it was on someone?”

“Those vials are my punishment for doing it too many times,” she grumbled, holding her knees against her chest. “Even though he says it’s because feeding directly on humans is barbaric and uncivilised, I’m sure I had a good portion of his decision to bleed them beforehand. So it’s only cold drinks for me, had been for over a century.”

“Again, honest question,” Ruby said after a silence, raising her hand. “Why can’t you stop? Is it because it tastes too good?”

“It _feels_ good.”

“Yeah, so you said, but, I mean… It feels good to masturbate, but I can totally stop.”

Opening her mouth only to wordlessly close it, she was sure she would have blushed all the way to her hair had she been a human. Instead, she just turned her head to stare out in front of her, embarrassed beyond words.

“That’s… that’s not… um…”

“Look, I’m just trying to understand,” Ruby pursued, gesturing with her hands. “_Why_ is it so hard for you to stop? What makes it that you straight out say you _can’t_?”

Observing a moment of silence, she lowered her gaze, her eyebrows knit together. She knew she couldn’t stop; she had tried so many times before, but… She never really stopped to think about why, actually, she couldn’t.

Closing her eyes to remember better, she tried to put into words the way she remembered it. It had been so long ago, and even now, just trying to remember was dizzying.

“Can you explain how it feels to be alive?” She asked, keeping her eyes closed.

When a silence only met her request, she tried to be a bit more specific.

“Can you explain how your heart beating in your chest feels like? How warm it feels like? How strong it feels like? Or can you explain how breathing feels like, how the expending of your lungs feels like?”

Not waiting for an answer because, let’s be honest, she wasn’t really expecting one, she continued, wetting her lips distractedly.

“I can’t really explain how it feels the way you want me to, but… I can tell you it’s like my heart beats again in synch with the host. It feels like I’m warm again, for the first time in forever. It feels like I’m _thrumming_ with an energy that isn’t my own, it feels like I’m _alive_ again, and after so long being not much more than a walking corpse, I can’t let it go.”

A silence followed her words, and reluctantly, she blinked her eyes open, taking in a sharp breath.

“I just… can’t,” she quietly finished, lowering her eyes to her shoes, ashamed that she couldn’t explain it better than this.

But a slow nod caught her attention, and when she looked over to Ruby, the lycan had a thoughtful expression on her face, her eyes cast down, and a soft hum emanated from her, quiet and soft.

“Okay,” was the only thing the brunette said.

Blinking as she watched Ruby move to stand, the young woman stretching with her arms above her head, she was speechless for a moment.

“Okay?” She repeated, wondering what it meant.

“I understand, now,” Ruby started with a smile, offering a hand to help her stand. “I get why you thought it was such a big deal, for the other day. And from what you told me, I don’t think I could stop either.”

Openly staring, dumbfounded, at the woman, then her eyes falling on the offered hand before going back up to the brunette, she huffed.

“I wasn’t looking for sympathy, but…” taking the offered hand, she let Ruby pull her up to her feet, standing close enough from her that she could feel her heat. “Thank you.”

They stood like this for a moment more, hand in hand, and she felt Ruby’s thumb lightly traveling across her knuckles before she let go, her hand slipping out of hers when, with a small jerk of her head, the lycan invited her to resume their walk. Taking in a deep breath as the remnant warmth of Ruby’s hand on her skin tingled, she simply followed, blissfully happy with how things turned out.

****

Days (well, nights…) went on, with the two friends meeting each other in the dark forest, sometimes simply to vent about their day and other times playfully racing each other through the woods. She sometimes felt a bit guilty when she could see how tired Ruby was; she had started online classes, or something like that. She simply had _no idea_ of what it was, but she simply nodded as Ruby talked, not wanting for the poor girl to explain for the fourth time.

Ruby had explained that they mostly received their education at home, and the lycan laughed at the mere idea of herself confined within four walls with a bunch of other strangers. She couldn’t stay still all alone, if she were to attend regular schools, she would have blown out her cover of human long ago.

It had happened a couple of times that, as they had talked sitting at the foot of a tree, Ruby fell asleep on her shoulder, and she soon found that she absolutely didn’t mind. She would simply take in the dark forest as she would listen to the young woman’s breaths, and she would hear her mumbles and her sighs.

Ruby always bashfully apologised for her impromptu naps, but she always brushed it aside. She could understand why the lycan was tired, she had awfully long days lately.

But even if she was tired, the full moon always had the same effects; Ruby was incredibly restless, and would burst out of her skin if still for too long. And so, taking advantage of the closing in full moon, an idea popped into her mind.

Excited to present her idea, she climbed out of her room by the window just after dawn. The sky still held the last colors of day that she was flying over the forest, impatient to meet her friend. Closing in on the town, she flew right over the trees, her wings brushing against the leaves, and when she was closer to the treeline, dived and turned into her normal self, continuing in a slow jog.

Bursting out of the treeline just as Ruby was leaving the town’s edges, the young woman jumped in surprise, her eyes widening as the brunette stopped in her tracks, and it made her smile as she made her way to her, a bit out of breath but excitement making her blood boil in her veins.

She couldn’t remember the last she felt like this. She just had a wonderful idea, and knew Ruby would like it, and was so very impatient to share it with her friend.

“Hi!” She happily greeted, stopping in front of Ruby.

“Hi,” the brunette smiled, eying her from head to toe. “You look like you’re in a good mood.”

“I am,” she smiled again, nodding. “Are you afraid of heights?”

It made Ruby blink for a second.

“What?”

“Are you afraid of heights?” She asked again, waiting anxiously for the answer.

If the lycan said yes, then all her plan would be thrown out the window. But knowing Ruby…

“No. Why?”

A large smile spread on her lips once again, and a soft pinch in her chest made her wonder if her heart didn’t just explode from happiness.

“Wonderful! How about we go watch the moon rise over the ocean?”

Looking a bit alarmed, Ruby glanced behind her and, taking a half-step forward, turned interested eyes to her, gleaming with mischief.

“The tower?” The lycan knowingly eyed her, and it simply made her smile inch larger.

It was enough of an answer for Ruby, as she grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

“Let’s go!” The young woman breathed out, stars in her eyes.

They set out in a haste, and walked a good amount of time through the forest, and Ruby was still holding her hand as she led her to a side of the forest they had never been together and, after Weiss carefully made sure they were alone, she turned into her vampire form, standing much taller than she did normally.

With ease and grace even with Ruby’s weight added, she took flight, and she felt the lycan snake an arm around her neck for reassurance, feeling it tight as she heard the sharp intake of air she took, and as they climbed higher in the sky, she didn’t land on top of the tower right away, instead let the wind carry her as she circled around the tower, high up in the sky.

She didn’t think she could get enough of the sights whenever she flew, even in the dark it was beautiful as the lit up stars gave just enough light to see the scenery.

After a long string of quiet exclamations coming from Ruby, she softly changed course of flight, slowly turning in a lazy slope to get back to the tower, and the fluttering of her wings as she landed made the dust and other detritus fall over and off, offering them a somewhat clean spot to sit.

The roof of the tower was in an angle, but it was soft enough for them to be surefooted as Ruby took careful steps across of it, leaning over to quickly glance down the tower. She laughed softly when the young woman quickly took several steps back towards the center of the tower, her gravelly voice somehow echoing in the air around them as she folded her wings snugly against her back.

There were a few gargoyles standing watch, daring for some fools to climb over, and Ruby seemed interested in them, observing them closely with a soft frown on her face.

“Why gargoyles?” She asked suddenly. “Isn’t it a bit too obvious?”

It only made her snort, and she tilted her head, a half smile pulling her lips.

“One, humans should have _really_ good vision to be able to see them.”

It made, Ruby hum, turning her attention back on the stone statue.

“Good point.”

“Two, _why_ would it be obvious?”

“Well, don’t you know gargoyles are vampires’ servants?”

“Don’t I know,” she retorted, sarcasm heavy in her voice as she crossed her arms.

A loud gasp escaped Ruby’s lips as the young woman turned bright silver eyes at her, shining like the sun in wonder.

“So it’s true?!” She exclaimed, before very carefully pulling her hand away from the gargoyle’s mouth as she had been inspecting its bared teeth.

Snorting at Ruby’s antics, she turned in her normal form as she stepped closer, patting lightly the back of one of the stony statues.

“Of course not, Ruby,” she huffed, but playfully winked at her. “Gargoyles are something the humans made up. That’s why there are so many on architectures.”

Frowning a bit, Ruby turned her attention back on the gargoyle, her eyebrows drawn closer.

“Huh.”

“Look!” She suddenly gasped, pointing towards the horizon. “The moon! It’s rising!”

Ruby’s head snapping towards where she was pointing, they could see just a sliver of red coming out of the horizon, reflecting on the calm waters of the distant ocean, and the loud gasp the lycan let out made her smile a bit smugly. She had known Ruby would like it.

As they sat side by side, they watched in a reverent silence the moon quickly rise above the water, losing its blood-red shade to be traded by rust, then orange and slowly it took this yellow shade, before it was hung high in the sky, sitting among the stars.

All the while, Ruby had been pressed to her side, and at some point, had even wrapped a loose arm around her waist, slowly, her hand sitting comfortably against her hip and silently encouraging her to lean over against Ruby’s shoulder. But it wasn’t really the gesture that she found strange, it was that the young woman was tense, careful, and her nonstop fidgeting up until now was nowhere to be seen.

“Ruby?” She asked at some point, tired of feeling the young woman so taut and almost vibrating with nerves. “Are you okay?”

“Sure!” Was the instant answer.

“Then why are you clinging to me?”

It made the young woman blink, and even in the darkness she could see the soft blush coloring her cheeks before the lycan looked away, returning her attention on the sky with rapt attention.

“Ah, uh, well it’s… kinda high.”

“But I asked if you were afraid of heights and you said no!” She recalled, horror widening her eyes as she stared at her friend, wondering if she hadn’t made it worst.

But Ruby’s arm around her waist tightened slightly, and the brunette chuckled quietly, a bit embarrassed.

“Yeah, well I just… didn’t think it’d be so high up.”

“Don’t worry,” she dutifully scooted closer, and went to take her other hand gently. “I _will_ catch you if you fall. But please, don’t do it on purpose,” she added after a beat. “My heart can handle so much.”

It made Ruby laugh as she smiled, shifting to be more comfortable against the lycan, and they spent another hour up there, observing the moon and chatting quietly. They were so close like this, and Ruby would lightly knock her boot against her naked foot, and she would respond in kind as they talked about this and that, and her hand never left Ruby’s.

At some point, the lycan’s fidgeting came back and she knew it was because they had been sitting for too long, and another idea formed in her mind as she turned into her vampire form and, simply gesturing for Ruby to come closer, she lifted the lycan and took flight, this time going towards the ocean.

There was a cliff as the end of the tower’s grounds, and she dived, hearing the whooping Ruby let out as the wind rushed in their ears, and as the reef was closing in at breakneck speed, she opened her wings to stop their descent and instead went up, spinning on herself just as a wave crashed against the rocky foot of the cliff, and Ruby hollered happily at that, apparently appreciating the flight.

A smile stamped on her lips, she let the strong wind rolling at the base of the cliff carry her, let the strong breaths of the waves push her up higher in the air as they hovered over the ocean, catching the moon’s reflection a trillion times across it.

Ruby laughed all the while when, finally indulging, she did a loop the loop between two large boulders, and finally lowered them enough so that Ruby, after she made sure to secure her, only had to reach out to touch the water, and the brunette let out a delighted sound when she did.

“This is the best day of my life!” Ruby kept saying, the excited note in her voice telling of the smile she was sure to have and the stars in her eyes, shining brighter than the sky above them.

Even though she wanted to go on for longer, she was starting to feel an ache between her shoulder blades, and exertion was making her arms tremble a bit as she changed course, taking the direction of the long, narrow beach hugging the shore, cradling the dense forest over its white sands.

Rising a bit of dust as she landed heavily, she still gently set the young woman down, waiting for her to be on her feet before changing form with a deep, tired sigh.

“I think I could sleep for a week after I bring you back,” she grumbled, stretching a bit with a groan.

The lycan grimaced in sympathy, but reached over and took her hand, gently, her thumb running over her knuckles.

“Sorry,” Ruby murmured, her eyes wandering her face with a strange expression.

Brushing her words aside with a hand and a huff, she shook her head, a smile gracing her lips as she looked up at the brunette.

“Oh don’t be, Ruby. I have wings and you don’t; might as well show you how it’s like. Besides, I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. I’m so used to them, sometimes I forget how to have fun with them.”

“Ugh, you make me wish I had wings!” The lycan whined, swinging their joined hands between them. “Can you imagine what I’d do? How fast I could be?”

“You’re already plenty fast, Ruby,” she gently reminded. “I struggle to keep up with you, most of the time.”

It made Ruby proudly raise her chin, standing taller than she did a moment before, and a soft breeze blew at that moment, lightly ruffling Ruby’s hair. She focused on it for a moment, fondness warming her chest as she saw a few locks fall back in the young woman’s face.

She had always liked the way it was wild, no matter what Ruby or she did with it. No matter how much she tried to tame them, it would just ignore the position and return to its free roam, unbound by any law but their own.

Out of reflex, she reached over and brushed a dark lock behind the brunette’s ear, her touch lingering when their eyes met.

There was something… hypnotic, when Ruby would look at her like this. It had happened a few times before, always when she had touched her like this. Sometimes, she wanted to stop and think what it meant, but… she never truly did.

The brunette’s eyes were darker than earlier, her expression somber and serious, but there was something soft in the depth of her eyes, and she felt as if she was looking directly into her soul, searching for something she wasn’t sure she would find.

Or searching for something she didn’t really know if it existed in the first place.

And she would always look away first, just like she did now, drawing her hand back as she took a sharp intake of air, ignoring the tingling at the tip of her fingers that had lingered against Ruby’s jaw.

The brunette cleared her throat quietly, and stared at her for a moment more, some kind of wistful expression crossing her features, but it was gone in a wink as, shaking herself it seemed, the lycan went back to her cheery self, immediately finding a shell by her foot when she looked down and picking it up to show her.

She wondered why, when Ruby would look at her that way, her guts felt like they were all twisted, but there was no pain, no ache. It was just twisting, repeatedly, like a swing pushed too hard and swirling on itself. There was no crushing hold, no icy hand, it was just…

Warm. Everything about Ruby was.

And, as she was a vampire, feeling warm after so long was… strange, to say the least.

As they walked along the beach and Ruby babbling about this and that, telling her stories about how, when she and Yang were younger, they had tried surfing on the waves back on the island, but had miserably failed every time, saying that there was too much wind, not enough waves, the current wasn’t strong enough…

She had always loved Ruby’s stories. It told of a younger self she would never meet, a facet of her personality she didn’t know yet or never will. It was fascinating, to her.

As Ruby was telling another story, gesticulated vehemently and even jumping a bit, the brunette stumbled on some invisible rock, hidden in the sand, and fell right in the water as a wave was washing on the beach, and she had to bite her lips hard not to laugh.

When the brunette stood again, she looked so sad and pitiful with her wet locks sticking to her face and her clothes soaked through that she couldn’t help but laugh, and Ruby laughed too, soon after shaking her head to dry her hair just like a dog would.

Still, no sooner than that Ruby started shivering in the breeze, crossing her arms tightly over her chest to keep warm, and she shed her jacket that she was wearing simply to cover her bare shoulders, wearing a backless top that was perfect when she knew she would change form a lot.

She couldn’t really be cold, as she already was. The brunette, however, accepted it gladly and put it on an instant later, even if it looked a bit tight on her.

Unfortunately, night was slowly coming to an end as they had walked closer to the town, down the beach, and to bring them back quicker, she had carried Ruby again, this time guessing no one would be outside at this hour and flew above the town, then quickly landed near Ruby’s house. She would have left after a wave, but the brunette had grasped her hand before she could leave, catching her attention.

“Wait! If you could come in just a sec, I’ll give you your jacket back.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Gently pulling her by the hand, the lycan lead her to the house and, once again, she had thought it would be deserted when they entered, but no.

It was nearly a full moon, after all.

Yang’s head popped from the living room and peered through the hallway at the sound of the door opening, and a smile spread on her lips at the sight of her sister coming in, inching larger when she stepped inside behind Ruby.

“Hey there, Weiss! Long time no see!”

Before she could respond to the blond, a second head appeared above Yang’s, and the pair of eyes staring her way were barely opened, blinking blearily to focus the golden eyes.

“G’morning,” Blake mumbled, her expression scruntching up as the witch abandoned the fight and let her eyelids slid close, her head falling back to Yang’s shoulder.

“Hey guys!” Ruby cheerfully greeted, before turning to her. “I’ll be just a sec.”

Then she left, abandoning her hand and disappeared around a corner, leaving her with a smirking Yang and a rapidly dozing off Blake.

“So,” the blonde started, turning a bit more to her as she leaned her chin on her closed fist to better look at her. “What did you do tonight?”

“Oh, I thought it would be nice to watch the moon rise from the tower,” she quietly said, just a touch of guilt drooping her shoulders. “But… I’m not sure Ruby really enjoyed it as much as she told me.”

“Really?” Yang sounded surprised, her blonde eyebrows furrowing. “Why not?”

“It’s just… She told me she was a bit… afraid. I mean, I can understand, the tower _is_ really high-”

“She _explicitly_ told you she was afraid because it was high?”

Somehow, the doubt she could hear plainly in Ruby’s sister’s voice made her bristle, and she sighed, short and tight.

“Well, she only said she didn’t think it was so high and she kept clinging to me, and-”

“Oh my gods.”

Blinking as she was interrupted by the quiet expression, she looked up, curious as to why Yang was referring to the gods, and the blonde was only staring at her with a growing smirk on her lips.

“Oh my gods, _she was listening_!” Yang said again, then proceeded to shake Blake’s shoulder. “Did you hear that, Blake?”

“I did,” the faunus sighed, but her voice still sounded much more awake than a moment ago. “Apparently she picked up a few things from you.”

“Excuse-me, what is going on?” She dryly interrupted, not really liking being laughed at on something… she didn’t really understand what, actually.

Yang, after murmuring something to Blake in the witch’s ear and making it twitch, swiftly jumped to her feet before making her way closer to her, the same, growing smirk on her lips and now very nearly a mile wide as her lilac eyes fixed her, filled with a mischievous gleam.

“Ah, sweets, if you only knew,” the blonde finally said, mockingly patting her cheek, and she dryly swatted her hand aside, crossing her arms defensively.

“Knew what?” She snapped back, feeling the threads of her patience being severely threatened.

“Ruby isn’t afraid of heights,” Yang’s smirk kept growing and growing, and for a moment she wondered how long she could keep going like this. “Like, ever. I once saw her jump from a bridge to land on iced over water, and she broke almost every bone in her body but she was never afraid to do it.”

It made her frown, confused, now.

“But, why did she-”

“I’m back! Here, Weiss, thanks again for your jacket,” Ruby slid back into view, changed into pajamas and holding her jacket in what could hardly be described as ‘folded’.

Still eying Yang for a moment more, her eyes narrowed as the smug smile never left its place on the blonde’s face, she finally decided to ignore it and turned to Ruby, accepting her jacket back with a smile, and received one from Ruby as she did.

“Thank you. Now, I should leave before dawn breaks.”

“Okay! See you tomorrow!” Ruby cheered, waving goodbye.

Dipping her head with a smile at Ruby, then sending one last suspicious glare to Yang, she left the house and, just as she was about to leave, she heard a bit of conversation. Curious as to why Yang was teasing her so much, she guiltily perked her ear, trying to hear better as she hid out of view.

“Smooth, Ruby.”

“What?”

“Playing the ‘I’m just a bit afraid of heights’ card? Perfect plan.”

“… Shut up.”

A raucous laugh followed, and she was left frowning, not really understanding much more of the situation than she did minutes ago, but she still left, lazily flying over the forest again to return to the castle, to safety, as she could see the sky rapidly paling in the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


	4. Chapter 4

“Movie night?” She repeated, arching a doubtful eyebrow. “But you have an exam next week.”

“Who are you, my mom?” Ruby scoffed, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. “Besides, you just said it. It’s _next week_, it’s still far!”

“No it’s not,” she still argued, leaning her shoulder against the bark of a tree and crossing her arms. “You should take your studies more seriously.”

“Ugh. You’re no fun.”

Deflating it seemed, Ruby sighed all the while as she sat at the foot of the tree they were standing under, curling up in a ball with her shoulders sagged, her arms laying limp on each side of her. Taking pity on the poor woman, she lightly patted her head, earning a groan at the gesture.

“I just can’t study today. My head is full, there’s no more space, I just… need to distract myself. Just for tonight.”

As she stared down at her, her hand still resting on the lycan’s head and caressing gently the dark hair, Ruby looked up, her eyes wide and pleading.

“Please? Just for tonight?”

Pinching her lips for a moment, she considered the wide, wet puppy-eyes Ruby was staring at her with, and she felt her resolve falter with just that.

“You promise you will study tomorrow?” She heard herself say before she could think better of it.

The brunette’s reaction was instant. Jumping on her feet with incredible agility, Ruby stood in front of her, renewed energy coursing through her as she was barely able to contain herself from running around in joy.

“Promise! You can even help me if you want, it’s history!”

“History? Well, I have studied history for two hundred years, I believe I can help you a little.”

Pausing as her eyes widened in stupefaction, Ruby’s expression lit up with pure joy, bringing both closed fists in the air above her head, a large smile pulling her lips.

“I’m gonna ace this exam!” The brunette yelled in the dark forest, before laughing heartily, if a bit hysterical.

Observing her friend with a small smile and maybe a bit of concern, she simply chuckled as Ruby repeatedly punched the air above her head, before her entire being stilled, and she lowered her arms with an embarrassed smile, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish chuckle.

“But not tonight,” the lycan reminded, nodding once firmly. “Tonight, we relax and we watch a movie.”

“I wonder what it’s going to be about,” she quietly wondered, staring up thoughtfully.

She let Ruby take her hand as she was still thinking about their movie, and the brunette gently led her through the part of the forest that they were starting to know by heart, by now.

“It can be about whatever you like,” Ruby assured her, giving a soft squeeze to her hand. “You decide.”

“Me?” She repeated, surprised as she looked down on her friend. “But I don’t know any!”

“Yeah, well, what genre would you like to watch?”

“There are genres?”

“Oh boy, this is going to be long…” She heard the brunette mumble under her breath, but after a short silence she noticed how Ruby’s back perked up, standing with her back in a ramrod line and seemingly resisting the urge of glancing back over her shoulder. “How about… a romantic movie?”

There was an audible hesitation in her proposition, as if she was forcing a neutral tone, and it made her frown in concern, now decidedly worried about her friend’s sanity. She _did_ have an awfully loaded week.

“Romantic?” She still parroted, coming back to the conversation.

“Yeah, I mean… who doesn’t like to see two characters fall in love? A bit of drama here, a bit of humor there, it’s cute and fluffy, and, well… it’s fun, right?”

Was she imagining things because it was dark, or the tips of Ruby’s ears that she could see through her hair were red?

“I… I guess it is,” she finally admitted, letting a soft smile grace her lips as she let her mind wander. “I remember one good play I went to see, when I was younger… Well, when I was actually younger,” she added with a soft, bitter laugh. “It’s a bit sad, though… I can’t remember the name of it.”

“You went to see plays?” Ruby asked, sounding definitely more at ease on this subject as she even glanced back at her. “That’s nice! I should do that sometimes…”

“Oh I loved it!” She breathed, her memories, even though hazy, rushing back to her. “It was so intense, and sometimes the entire theater laughed at the joke, or gasped at the offense, and… I respect your movies,” she playfully said, sending a quick wink to the brunette. “But I _loved_ my plays.”

“Hey! We could go see a play, one day!” Ruby smiled largely, almost vibrating just at the thought. “I mean usually plays are after dark, and it’s in darkened room with barely no lights besides the spots, and-”

“Oh, they don’t light the scene with candles anymore?”

“… What?”

There was a short pause, then.

“If there are no candles, when do you know it’s the intermission?” She hesitantly asked, _knowing_ she was going to be laughed at.

Instead, Ruby stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, her eyes shining with curiosity.

“Wait, you’re saying they used candles to decide the length of the play?”

“Well, no, I mean if it was a short play with no intermission, they would use the appropriate candles. Same thing with the longer ones with intermissions, they just… used the right candles.”

“Amazing! Who would have thought?”

“They definitely did.”

There was a short silence before both of them snorted, turning in laughter as they returned to their walk through the forest towards Ruby’s home, and when their laughter died down, a comfortable silence settled over them as they continued, hand in hand.

After a moment of blissful walking, she turned her attention on the lycan, observing her as she walked. She wasn’t very tall, but definitely taller than her, and her shoulders were broader, stronger, hiding the strength only a lycan could possess.

Ruby sometimes made her think of an overgrown teenager, in some way, with her kind of lanky walk and how she carried herself, as if her limbs were too long and too heavy. But she knew the lycan was more agile than she let on, and knew firsthand just how fast she could be.

Her arms were indeed a bit long, but she figured it was some kind of side effect of being a lycan. Still, they were strong, attached to shoulders that filled any shirt and jacket Ruby wore nicely, and her hands…

Her hands were big, in comparison to her own. Strong and warm but still soft against her, holding hers gently, always had, her fingers long too but not too much. If she watched closely, she could see the tiny scars on the back of it, speaking of untold, forgotten tales and stories of another time, and she was sure, another place.

It made her wonder then, how old Ruby was. How old she was when this… event, with this Penny character happened. As she gave the brunette a once over again, she guessed Ruby was in her early twenties. If they had lived in Patch for twenty five years, she figured Yang was twenty five. And as the blonde was a few years older than Ruby…

Still, it made her wonder. What happened to Penny? Would Ruby be angry if she simply asked?

But as she could hear the brunette quietly humming a song to herself as they were closing in on the edge of the forest and near the town, she held her tongue, not wanting to ruin Ruby’s apparent good mood. It would be a conversation for another time…

****

Ruby opened the door of the house, and she only had the time to take a single step inside before the young woman stilled, her entire being tensing.

As she moved to look over Ruby’s shoulder, she could see Yang in the kitchen, yawning widely, while Blake was sitting at the table and turned lazy golden eyes to them.

“What are you doing here?” Ruby all but barked at her sister, and it made her blink, surprised.

Yang, on the other hand, barely shrugged, unceremoniously sniffing.

“Uh, I live here?” The blonde waved a hand in front of her. “Hi, I’m your sister?”

“That’s not-”

Letting out a short sigh as she interrupted herself, the brunette moved from the doorway to let her in, before closing the door.

“I meant weren’t you working, tonight?”

As Yang’s eyes were tiredly trailing on her sister, there was a sudden flicker of interest after a moment of stillness, and the lilac eyes quickly glanced back and forth between her and Ruby as she tilted her blonde head to the side, a small, teasing smile on her lips.

“And why the sudden interest in my work schedule?” The eldest sister asked sweetly, sending a knowing wink to her sister.

It resulted in a violent blush on Ruby’s entire face, that she tried to mask by briskly walking out of the kitchen and towards the hallway to her room, quickly followed by a laughing Yang, who ran after her as both disappeared around the corner.

Left alone with Blake in the kitchen, she shifted awkwardly by the door, not really knowing what to do.

“You can sit down, you know,” Blake finally said as the awkward silence only kept lengthening.

Dipping her head to the witch, she silently took place at the table, crossing her fingers on it, and simply avoided Blake’s general direction. An argument was the last thing she wanted, tonight.

But against all odds, she heard the faunus sigh quietly beside her.

“I’m… sorry.”

Sure that her ears were suddenly playing tricks on her, she turned like a brick towards Blake, openly staring.

“I beg your pardon? I think I foolishly heard you apologise.”

She saw the irritated twitch one feline ears did, but Blake only took in a sharp breath, darting her eyes away.

“Look, how about we… start over?”

“Just so it’s clear, you’re the one who started.”

The golden eyes snapped back at her in a heartbeat, narrowed.

“You’re the one who’s so tightly wound you couldn’t take my teasing!”

“I am _not_ tightly wound!”

“You are, but it doesn’t matter. Look-”

“Who do you think you are to dare tell me such things?”

“Look,” Blake said again, cutting, and the glint in her eye was serious, severe, even. “I’m not a fan of vampires, and maybe I let myself judge you too quickly because of this. And I apologise for that.”

Letting a silence settle between them, she only stared, stoic, and searched Blake’s eyes for any trace of teasing, of mockery, searching for something that would make her believe that the witch was lying, but… She had to say, she was a bit taken aback to only see how serious she was.

The hard, ramrod line of her shoulders relaxed a bit as a weight lifted from her chest. She still remembered how Ruby said she wanted her friends to get along. And she was glad that Blake, of all people, would be the bigger person and would lay the first stone to build this bridge.

So much for being two hundred and fifty years old.

“I… I have to apologise, too,” she finally said from the tip of her lips, but it still caught the witch’s attention all the same. “I may have reacted aggressively and hastily to your… teasing. I… am not particularly keen on witches.”

“You don't say.”

The slow trust that had been instilled flew out the window at the comment as she bristled so much that she nearly took three inches in height for how straight she held her back, a scowl firmly in place as she glared at the witch.

“What does that mean?” She hissed, feeling her nails sinking in her palms for how tightly she squeezed her closed fists.

Calmly, the witch merely pointed a finger at her, a corner of her lips twitching.

“See? Tightly wound.”

Feeling her fangs growing as she gritted her teeth so much she heard them creak, she glowered at Blake, knowing her eyes would be glowing by now.

Unfazed by her reaction, Blake simply leaned her elbows on the table, crossing her fingers together and for a moment, the faunus appeared to be mulling something over, opening and closing her mouth a couple of times before taking in a deep breath, straightening her back, and finally looking up at her, their eyes locking.

“Do you know how many witches there are in Vale?”

Surprised by the question, she blinked, before shrugging, unable to see the relevance of the question.

“I don’t know… A hundred, maybe?”

Grimacing a bit, Blake’s eyes shifted to the side slightly, and her expression darkened a bit.

“Let’s say… around three hundred, all across the kingdom of Vale. Do you know how many there are here, in Vytal?”

“I don’t know, Blake!” She finally snapped, throwing her hands in the air. “And I fail to see what the point is!”

“One,” the faunus nonetheless pursued, raising a single finger in the air between them. “Me.”

She waited for… something. But Blake was still regarding her with intensity, waiting for some kind of reaction.

“And?” She shrugged, impatient. “Am I supposed to applause?”

“Years ago, it was my grand-mother.”

“I still fail to see the point, here. I’m starting to wonder if there’s one at all.”

“The point is,” now it was Blake’s turn to hiss, her ears folded back and her stare piercing as she leaned over, staying her impatience. “Who do you think your mother went to see in search of her cure?”

All animosity fleeing her, she sat back in her chair to stare at Blake in disbelief, and for once in her life, her mind was blank as she stared, speechless.

Maybe eighty years after her father had given them the ‘gift’ of living eternally, she remembered clearly when her mother snapped. When she had enough. She had slowly distanced herself from them ever since they had been turned to vampires, but… She remembered seeing it in her clear blue eyes. The moment.

The breaking point.

She remembered with shame that it was Willow that had found her in the stables, that time, high as a kite as she was sucking the life of one of the cattle. Even though the memories were hazy and every moving thing looked like a blur, she still remembered the look on her mother’s face, a mix of disdain and resignation.

Then, her expression went blank, and she simply turned away, leaving without interfering.

The next thing she knew, Willow went missing for a whole week.

She remembered thinking it was because of her, that her mother couldn’t bear the thought of having an addict as a daughter, that Willow hated her so much that she couldn’t look at her anymore, and every day that her mother was away, she kept blaming herself.

But then, out of the blue, they woke up one night only to find Willow, sitting in a rocking chair in the garden with an opened bottle of wine and, even though she grimaced every time she took a sip, it was the only thing she did.

And she has been sitting in that chair, drinking, up until now.

Sometimes she still thought it was because of her. Then she reasoned with herself, that she might have been just one more reason for her to snap, that there must be a million others, but just the knowledge that she _was_ one of them was too much to bear, at times.

“She…” She started, barely above her breath. “She was searching for a cure?”

“…You didn’t know? Turns out, there was no cure.”

She shook her head, a lump in her throat suddenly keeping her from talking, and she tried swallowing past it, clearing her throat to get rid of it.

“She, ah, has not said anything at all ever since she came back,” she quietly informed, and when her vision started to become blurry, she blinked them away as she lowered her head, hiding behind her bangs. “Father said some witch had put a spell on her, or… something like that. I don’t… I don’t remember well, I wasn’t… really there.”

“So you thought it was a witch that did something to your mother,” Blake repeated, a bit sternly.

Dipping her head a bit more, she sniffled quietly, wondering why after all those years it still felt so raw to her, but she still nodded silently, her shoulders drooping.

“Gramma was found dead, on the old trail leading to Beacon’s castle,” the witch informed, her voice once again sounding stern. “Drained of her blood.”

Widening her eyes, she looked up at the faunus, and she felt largely offended that Blake was so poorly disguising how she was accusing her.

“It wasn’t me!” She snapped, finding all the edge she had earlier. “I only ever fed on the cattle, at the castle!”

Once again shrugging, Blake was still staring at her, seemingly waiting for her to find an answer, and she rolled her eyes, now angry to see how the situation was unfolding.

“I don’t know, Blake! I wasn’t the most attentive back then, the only thing I can say for sure is that it wasn’t me, nor Mother and Winter. She was on another kingdom, at the time.”

“So that leaves your father…”

“And Whitley. But he would never do something without Father expressly telling him to do so, so…”

The witch stared at her for a long moment, seemingly searching something in her features, in her eyes, searching for some kind of answer, but eventually came to the realisation that she would find none in her. her shoulders drooping as she sighed, Blake’s eyes fell to the table, and for just a moment, she looked… tired.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway,” the faunus murmured, blinking slowly. “It was a long time ago.”

“Do you think they’re friends, now?”

Both her and Blake turned in synch towards the new voice, seeing Ruby’s head poking from the hallway and peering in the kitchen at them and, before they could say something, Yang’s head came into view, just above Ruby’s.

“I don’t know,” the blonde answered her sister as if they really believed they couldn’t hear. “Kinda looks like it.”

As both of them lifted their eyes to the ceiling, they could see the sisters smiling widely in response, as if to give them reason.

****

After all that happened in the kitchen, she could use the distraction of a movie, and she found herself in the living room, taking place in the corner of the couch she found she liked, lightly hugging a cushion as Ruby was lazily trailing a finger along the back of the neatly stored boxes on the shelf, unable to decide what they were going to watch it seemed.

Blake seemed about ready to take a nap as Yang yawned again without covering her mouth with her hand, she noticed as she sent a glare her way, but either Yang didn’t notice or ignored her because she didn’t even so much as glanced in her direction, instead lightly pushing Ruby’s backside with her foot.

“What are we watching?” The oldest asked, hooking her big toe in Ruby’s jeans’ back pocket, decidedly pulling them down.

As if second nature, the brunette swatted her foot away before lifting her jeans back in place, her eyes never leaving the back of one of the boxes she had taken, before lifting her hand to scratch her cheek thoughtfully.

“I don’t know yet. Something light, though… Like a romantic comedy.”

“Roman-” Yang nearly chocked on air at that. “But you _hate_-”

Swiftly turning around, Ruby all but slammed her foot in her sister’s stomach, the blonde emptying her lungs in a long, plaintive note.

“I meant you love romantic comedies, of course that’s what we’ll watch,” Yang barely managed, and Blake merely patted the blonde head with a knowing smirk.

Gracefully pulling her foot back from her sister’s stomach, Ruby returned to her previous spot as if nothing happened, simply humming thoughtfully as she tapped her chin with a finger, and she turned concerned eyes to Yang, who didn’t seem to mind that Ruby nearly broke her in half just seconds ago as she was slowly rubbing the spot on her stomach.

Maybe it was simply because she couldn’t remember, but she was sure none of them had ever done something like this to each other, ever.

Her attention was brought back when two boxes appeared in front of her, and she eyed them curiously before looking up at Ruby, who was blissfully smiling at her.

“Choose one,” the brunette only said, wiggling the boxes in front of her again.

After a couple of seconds of deliberation, she chose the one with the funnier tittle and she heard the snort Yang let out at the choice, but Ruby ignored it, instead eyeing it again before sending another smile to her.

“Good choice! Very cheesy, though.”

“What’s ‘cheesy’?” She asked curiously, arching a single eyebrow.

There was a silence as the three other women glanced at each other, blinking.

“Uh, it’s when you see people do something awfully cute, you know? And a lot cliché, but, heh. Who doesn’t like tropes that work?” Yang happily explained as she wrapped an arm around Blake’s shoulders, pressing a kiss between the faunus’ ears.

“But why does it have to involve cheese?”

Another silence settled over them, and once again, Yang was the one to speak, her brows furrowed as she was staring up at the ceiling in thoughts.

“You know what? That’s a good question. I’m gonna do a bit of research, but not now. We have a cheesy movie to watch.”

At that moment, Ruby fell in the couch beside her with a sigh, and she pressed a button on the remote she held, and soon, the movie started, her attention zeroing on it instantly.

She just marveled at it every time, making Ruby laugh softly beside her, but soon she was too engrossed in the story to really be aware of what happened around her, hugging the cushion blissfully.

At some point, she felt Ruby shift against her, felt the lycan’s arm tentatively wrap around her shoulders just like Yang around Blake’s, and she let it, simply snuggling closer to the brunette and gladly stealing her warmth, and she found herself comfortably tucked in the crook of Ruby’s shoulder, still holding her cushion.

What she _was_ aware, however, was how Ruby’s fingers were drawing mindless pattern on her shoulder, sometimes tiny circles and other times spirals and some shapeless form, but the touch was light, practically hovering over her skin.

She shouldn’t even have been aware of it, for it to be practically absent. And yet, her attention zeroed on it, and she couldn’t help but wonder why it bothered her so much.

Well, ‘bother’ was a big word for it. It was… distracting, to be more reasonable. Every touch from Ruby’s fingers sent shivers down her spine, raised goosebumps across her skin and left warm trails behind, and her stomach was spinning again. It wasn’t uncomfortable or dizzying… Well, it was, in a way. She was just… unsure of what it meant.

Her attention slowly straying from the movie and instead turning at the young woman against her, she realised Ruby was incredibly still, despite the restlessness of her fingers. And when she discreetly glanced up at her, Ruby was staring at the TV but looked entirely too bored with it.

Apparently she wasn’t as subtle as she thought she was, because Ruby’s eyes snapped down and locked with hers, and for a short second, she saw a flicker of panic in her eyes before the lycan offered a small, gentle smile.

She was a bit surprised by how quickly she returned it, and her stomach made another flip as she did, a sort of giddiness filling her as she settled back against Ruby, this time taking the liberty to lean her head against the woman’s shoulder.

She felt the lycan tense, and she was about to pull away when she felt it, but Ruby relaxed a second after, her arm around her shoulders tightening the gentle hold.

In her chest, she felt the distant thumping of her heart, as if it came back to life for a moment.

As Ruby’s fingers were lazily trailing up and down her arm, they both relaxed as their attention returned to the movie, and she focused on it again, content and comfortable. She could tell Ruby was too, because the lycan gradually relaxed against her.

It was near the end of the movie that she realised something crucial, something she _should_ have thought about before, but she wasn’t very familiar with how they did things, in this time of age.

She realised, after watching one of the characters awkwardly wrapping a loose arm around the other’s shoulders, that based on the movie, Ruby _had been actively courting her_!

And she had been doing so _for weeks_!

Trying to be subtle about her sudden meltdown as she widened her eyes in horror, holding back the groan (or scream) she wanted to let out for being _such_ a dense idiot. How could she have known? She was used to hand-written letters, flowers and gifts, and to always have a chaperon to make sure things stayed courteous and civil with the suitor.

She also remembered that Father had to approve of the suitor, before he could start courting her.

Ever since turning into a vampire, Father had seemingly given up about finding a suitor for her, and she remembered being glad for it. There was just something about them that she never liked; too arrogant, too stupid, too intimidating… too hairy.

She remembered that one with a grimace, how Winter had laughed and laughed when she had told her in secrecy.

But as Father could live forever, what was the point of having heirs? She guessed that was why he didn’t pursue his search for suitors.

And yet, there was something about Ruby that attracted her, that made her drawn to the lycan, that made her let Ruby touch her shoulder and hold her as she wouldn’t have let any man of her father’s choosing do.

Zoning out of the movie, she furrowed her brows, thinking about what made her so at ease with the lycan.

Maybe it was her smile. It was easy-going, contagious and warm, it was beautiful on a bad day and even more when Ruby laughed. Or her eyes, that she always found intriguing and gorgeous. Maybe it was because she wasn’t that much taller than her, wasn’t towering over her and imposing respect, maybe…

Maybe it was because Ruby didn’t impose anything on her. Maybe it was because she never expected anything in return, never _forced_ anything. Ruby always gave her the choice, always _offered_ and never, ever _took_ without it being willingly.

Maybe Ruby ticked all her boxes ever since day one, and she had been an oblivious fool all this time.

Maybe she was just a dumb idiot that couldn’t even realise how important Ruby had grown in her life.

She was vaguely aware of the movie ending as she stared, transfixed, at the TV, boring holes through it as her mind went rampant, feverishly searching for some kind of answer.

What was she supposed to do? _How_ was she supposed to respond to this… courting, if she was interested?

Did she have to offer gifts? Write her letters? Buy her flowers? Take long walks on the beach with her? Hold her hand and kiss the back of it?!

She had absolutely no notion of romance, and this movie had been nothing but a disaster, when she had been attentive. There was no way she could just come up to her and… and…

And kiss her.

Oh, just the thought was scandalous.

“Uh… You okay over there?”

Yang’s voice suddenly worming her way into her over-agitated mind made her jump against Ruby, and she realised that the movie had long since ended and the TV turned off, and also that Ruby was sitting ramrod straight, her arm strangely stiff around her shoulders.

As if she hadn’t moved because _she_ didn’t.

Blinking and _hoping_ her panic couldn’t be seen by the forced smile she offered, she noticed the steadily growing blush on Ruby’s face as the brunette was still stoically staring right in front of her, ignoring the growing grin on her sister’s face.

“I’m wonderful!” She heard herself say, and she cringed at how forceful it sounded.

The blonde made a face, giving her a sidelong glance as her lilac eyes shortly went to Ruby, who’s blush was reddening her ears.

“… M’kay, imma… go to bed, now,” Yang was slowly saying, her eyes glancing back and forth, and Blake was already standing and pulling on her hand even before she finished her sentence, her hears low on her head.

But as the two were leaving the living room, she climbed to her feet, unable to stay still any longer, nerves shaking her to her core as she suddenly _needed _to be anywhere but here.

“And I have to go,” she reported, already making her way to the kitchen while Ruby was scurrying to her feet. “I just remembered that I have a really important family meeting. That I have to attend. As it is an important one.”

Her face scrunching up in exasperation as her back was still to Ruby, she wished she could just tie her tongue in a knot and stop talking for the rest of the night.

“Oh,” the brunette quietly let out behind her, and after schooling her features she turned around, her chest aching to see the brief second of disappointment in Ruby’s silver eyes. “Uh, okay. If you say so.”

“I do say so.”

Ruby’s eyes darted to the side for a second as the young woman shifted a bit on her feet, awkward.

“Uh, sure.”

Opening her mouth to simply close it wordlessly, she blinked, and as the awkward silence only kept lengthening she spun on her heels, discreetly shaking her head and cursing herself internally as she opened the door to leave, and she stopped when Ruby’s voice sounded behind her, small and awfully hesitant.

“See you tomorrow? So you can help me study?”

It made her pause as she turned around, and she was shook again to see how hesitant Ruby was, her eyes cast down and nervously munching on her lip, her fingers restlessly jittering by her side.

Horror dawned on her again when she realised Ruby thought she did something wrong, and that was why she was so flimsily trying to find a reason to leave. But she didn’t do anything wrong, she never did, and just the _thought_ was unbearable…

Reaching out and taking her hand before she could stop herself, Ruby raised surprised eyes at her, blinking, and she offered a gentle smile, suddenly feeling much calmer than earlier.

“Of course I will,” she softly said, squeezing lightly the warm hand in hers. “See you tomorrow.”

It earned her one of those beautiful smiles that she was praising just moments ago, and once again, her heart thumped in the depth of her chest, reminding her that she wasn’t dead after all.

Letting go of Ruby’s hand, she took a step back, keeping their eyes locked for a moment more before she turned around and, not waiting to be hidden in the forest, she took her vampire form and took flight, feeling Ruby’s stare at her back until she was flying over the trees.

As she did, she held her head low, muttering every curses she knew under her breath and directing it at herself as she slowly made her way back to the castle, returning directly to her room by slipping through the opened window.

The last thing she wanted was to cross Whitley’s path, and even less her father’s.

The first thing she did when she got inside was change form, and throw herself on her bed, bury her face in her pillow, and let out a loud, exasperated groan in it.

“Well that’s a sad sight,” a voice calmly said to her left, and she jumped out of her skin.

Falling from the bed with a yelp, she stayed sprawled on the floor for a handful of seconds, her mind slowly registering the voice and eventually recognising it, and she sat up, looking over the mattress at the guest she had in her room.

Winter was closing the book she held on her lap as she blinked up at her to adjust her vision, and she felt her eyes widening, her mouth agape for a moment.

“Wha-What are you doing here?” She finally managed to mumble, shaking herself into motion and slowly sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes fixated on her sister.

The look Winter gave her was one of pure surprise, and the woman blinked again, this time in shock.

“You actually forgot I was coming home for the week,” Winter said quietly, realisation clear in her voice.

“I meant in my room,” she muttered, feeling herself shrink under the sharp, piercing gaze of the older woman.

Her sister furrowed her brows as she regarded her with all the seriousness of the world, and a beat passed before Winter tilted her head to the side, a flicker of interest in her eyes.

“I have been trying to see you for three days, Weiss. You know I only come back to see you,” her sister added, insistent. “But you never came downstairs, so I figured I would see you in your room, but you weren’t there. I decided to wait until you were back.”

Her sister merely gestured to the pile of books resting on the nightstand by her elbow, then the one in her lap.

“As you can see, I was prepared to wait for a lot longer.”

“So I see…”

“Where were you? And what’s that smell? You reek like a wet dog.”

Panic flooding her senses, she nearly threw herself to her dresser and grabbed the first perfume bottle she could see as she shortly wondered why she still had them, and sprayed some on herself, noticing the way Winter crinkled her nose.

“What are you-”

“I did forget you were coming, I’m sorry,” she interrupted, setting the bottle of perfume down with a bit more force than necessary, but she could see how trembling it was. Fear was creating a thick lump in her throat, and she had to fight to speak through it. “I was… busy.”

Blinking, Winter stared at her for a second, soft concern in her eyes.

“Father did mention he rarely saw you, these days. He also mentioned that every time he did, it always ended in an argument.”

Darting her eyes away as she leaned back against the dresser, she pinched her lips, holding the comment burning her lips about Father always asking for it, but she knew Winter would argue at that. The last thing she wanted right now was to think about her father, or have a fight with Winter. She was shaken enough as it is.

“So what has got you so worked up that you had to scream in your pillow?” Her sister’s voice rung in the silence of the room, and she could discern the discreet interest in it. “I figure it is also the reason why you have been so… busy.”

Feeling her shoulders droop at the woman’s inquiry, she wondered if she could talk about this to Winter. She would have tried to talk herself through, and probably would have ended up in the library in search of romantic enlightening, but maybe…

Maybe Winter had experience in this. I mean, she was rarely home. Surely her heart was to someone, or she just… knew a bit more about it. Winter was more versed in this age’s customs then she ever would.

“I…”

But was it really wise? Ruby was a lycan. Would Winter be mad? Would she tell Father? He would definitely be mad if he knew.

But she _needed_ advice, or else she might die of nerves the next time she sees Ruby.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad way to go…

“Whatever it is, you _know_ you can tell me,” Winter was quietly insisting, noticing her hesitation as she put aside the book she was holding, turning more to her in undivided attention.

Biting her lip for a second more, she took a sharp breath in, raising her chin decidedly and met her sister’s stare, locking her eyes with Winter’s clear blue ones.

“Promise me that not a word of this conversation will ever leave this room.”

Blinking, Winter took half a second before moving her right hand to her chest, over her heart.

“I promise. I will carry your secrets to my tomb and I always will, little sister. Now,” the older woman stood from her chair to sit on the bed, patting the spot next to her, a soft glint in her eye. “Come over here and spill.”

Feeling her shoulders drooping at the command but feeling light at the same time, she was glad to see that, even after all this time, Winter hadn’t changed. She remembered her older sister being her best friend, her mentor and confident, and even if they rarely saw each other anymore, it warmed her to know that Winter still took some time to come home to see her and, when she did, was willing to hear what was on her mind.

So she took place by Winter’s side, leaned her back against the headboard as her sister did the same, and in the residual silence it took her to gather the courage to say what she wanted to say, she saw the soft, content smile on Winter’s lips.

“I met a lycan,” she announced abruptly.

The smile vanished from her sister’s lips, traded instead by an utterly surprised expression.

“She’s been courting me for weeks and I realised she was only now, and I am… freaking out. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to say. What am I supposed to do to make her understand that it is wanted? What am I supposed to do to court her, too? I can’t possibly let her do all the work, I mean it is largely unfair already, she is just so… wonderful all the time, and I’m just a dense fool who left abruptly with a lie she couldn’t possibly believe and now I’m sure she thinks I hate her but honestly I hate myself way, way more.”

She ended with a loud, pitiful sigh, sinking a bit lower on her seat, and Winter merely hummed after a moment, loosely crossing her arms over her chest.

“That’s why you smelled like a wet dog,” her sister simply commented.

It made her groan as she rubbed her hands against her face, and she heard the quiet, warm chuckle Winter let out as she did.

“How did you not know she was courting you? It’s usually quite obvious,” Winter was continuing.

“I just thought she was being a good, affectionate friend!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Her sister laughed then, a real one, and she would have laughed too if it hadn’t been at her expense, and instead she curled in a ball and hid her face in her arms, groaning loudly again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd say there's about two other chapters of this story, buuuut I could be wrong.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! <3


	5. Chapter 5

“Are you out of your mind?!” She was exclaiming yet again, pacing back and forth restlessly like a tiger in a cage, running a slightly trembling hand in her hair. “I can’t just _tell her_! It’s so…”

“Barbaric?” Winter stoically proposed, not even looking up from her book. “Uncivilised? Not the point of romance?”

“Yes!”

“So you have been saying for the past hour, Weiss.”

“But-”

“If you are to reject every idea I have, then spare me the time and patience and just tell me so,” the oldest glanced at her shortly, arching her brows. “If you want something _you_ thought about, then why bother asking for advice?”

“I… Ugh,” she fell in the chair Winter had been previously using, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t know, I just… need an outsider’s opinion.”

“Mhm. Do you accept criticism?”

“Not right now, thank you.”

Rolling her eyes, Winter returned to her book, simply turning the page as she stared at the ceiling, frowning angrily at it.

“I could write her a poem!” She perked up, the idea sounding great.

“You could. Does she like poetry?”

Deflating again in her chair, she hung her head low.

“I don’t know… But who doesn’t like poetry?”

“Do you accept criticism, now?”

Pinching her lips, she furrowed her brows, stubbornly ignoring the very pointed look her sister was sending her way.

“No.”

Ignoring the sigh her sister let out, she kept staring at the floor for a long moment, feverishly trying to find something, but she was too distracted, her thoughts kept stranding off, and she finally gritted her teeth, irritated by her betraying mind.

“Fine, what is it, Winter?”

Lowering her book calmly, Winter took the time to save her page and set her book aside before turning to her, crossing her fingers over her knees as she crossed her leg over it.

“You want her to understand that you are not indifferent of her courting, right?”

“Yes.”

“You want her to catch on when you are courting her?”

“Yes!”

“Then _make her_ catch on.”

“You make it sound so easy!” She was just on the edge of getting angry, of leaving the room and locking herself in the library.

“And it should!”

Staring up at her sister, puzzled, Winter sighed, shifting in her seat.

“Courting should be about what she likes, what _you two_ like doing _together_. How can you make her understand if you suggest things you don’t even know she likes?”

Lowering her eyes to the floor, she felt her shoulders sag as she was, for a moment, defeated. Winter took this silence to observe her, before opening her mouth again.

“What do you know she likes?” The oldest asked gently.

“She likes movies,” she instantly answered. “All kinds of games. She likes to build things, likes using her hands… She likes cookies. With chocolate chips. That’s important. She also likes dogs, and cats and every other animal actually, and…”

A corner of Winter’s lips curled upward at that, and she relaxed as a soft smile pulled her lips, and she found it easier to breathe now as she was remembering all the things that made Ruby smile and laugh and hung stars in her eyes.

“She liked that time I took her up the tower to watch the moon rise,” she added to her list after a moment with a soft frown on her features, tapping her chin restlessly. “And she really liked when I flew with her, she even made me do a loop the loop! It was so silly, and yet, she was so excited…”

“You took her to the tower to watch the moon rise,” Winter repeated, a bit dryly.

Surprised by her sister’s tone, she interrupted what she was saying to look up at her, blinking.

“Yes?”

“And then you took her to fly. Holding her closely to you.”

“…Yes? What did you want me to do, hold her loosely and drop her at the first turn?”

“What did you do next?” Winter pressed, suddenly very interested by that night.

“We, um, we went to take a long walk on the beach, and she fell in the water and she was shivering so I gave her my jacket, I wasn’t about to let her get cold!”

“That,” Winter said, pointing a finger at her.

Staring at her with increasing confusion, she blinked.

“…That?”

“Yes. That night. _That_, is courting material.”

“Oh, Winter, I wasn’t even-”

“It was something new, that you both enjoyed! Did you take her up the tower because you knew she would like it?”

“Oh, I see what you mean,” she muttered, her mind returning in a frenzy as a million possibilities formed in her mind.

“Pick something you know she will like, and then… go from there. How bad can it turn out?” Winter shrugged, offering an encouraging smile.

“Well, she has this exam coming up next week,” she thought out loud, scrunching up her features. “She wants me to help her study tomorrow…”

“Oh, I heard that _a lot_.”

“What does _that_ mean?”

Shrugging a single shoulder, Winter eyed her for a moment, a mischievous gleam in her eyes and a playful smile on her lips.

“Don’t be surprised if you end up with barely any study at all, is all I’m saying.”

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously at her, she simply decided to ignore the comment and returned to her musing, climbing to her feet and started pacing again in the space at the end of the bed.

“She has been stressed about this exam for weeks, now… Maybe I should do something to cheer her up.”

Then, she groaned, pressing a hand to her face.

“It was supposed to be tonight!” She whined, unable to hold the plaintive tone from her voice. “We were supposed to watch a movie to make her relax! Oh, I definitely need to do something to make up for it…”

She was wringing her hands now, her pacing speeding up, until she stopped suddenly, an idea once again popping in her mind.

“Do you think Klein has the ingredients to make cookies?” She asked Winter, hopeful.

But her sister shrugged, reaching over to take back her book.

“It’s been years since I came here, little sister. I think you should ask him directly.”

She was gone before Winter had finished her sentence, leaving the door ajar behind her as she practically tumbled down the stairs, then took a hard left right at the bottom of them to go towards the kitchen.

She was practically flying through the hallways, shamelessly running across them with a smile plastered on her lips just at the thought of Ruby’s face when she would appear with a box full of cookies in her hands.

Oh, Ruby was definitely going to love it.

Skidding to a halt right in front of the double doors leading to the kitchen, she climbed to the tip of her toes to look through the small windows there, scouting ahead to make sure Klein was alone. Then, before entering, made sure nobody was around.

The last thing she needed was her father or brother, asking why she was going in the kitchen.

But, she was alone, and so appeared Klein, and she entered, smiling at the man looking up at her.

She remembered the first day he started working here. He was the only human allowed inside the castle, as he was the one caring for the cattle. He was in charge of feeding them and taking care of them, in charge of every need a human had.

He was also in charge of making their food, hence why he worked in the kitchen.

But the man had always been kind to her, unlike his predecessor. He had been young, then, barely over twenty years old, but now he was somewhere in his fifties, his temples greying rapidly but his thick mustache still stubbornly dark brown.

“Hi, miss Weiss!” The man greeted, wiping his hands on his apron as he stepped closer.

She could see the flicker of concern in his eyes; it was already rare to see her father here. With her past, it was simply a wonder to see her.

She knew Klein’s predecessor would have run away if she ever entered the kitchen unannounced. Well, maybe he would have been right to run, back then…

But she wasn’t like that anymore, and Klein trusted her. He maybe was the only human to do so… Shaking herself to present, she smiled at him, rapidly eying around the kitchen.

“Hi! I have a favor to ask.”

Klein, who had been waiting patiently, now stood at ready, his mustache twitching.

“And I am ready to hear it. It would be my honor to aid you, miss!”

Letting out a huff, she brushed the air in front of her, a bit embarrassed at how serious he sounded.

“It’s not that serious, Klein, I just… wanted to know if you had the ingredients to make cookies?”

Blinking, the man stilled.

“Cookies?” He repeated, unsure. “But you can’t eat them.”

“I know, it’s not for me,” she assured with a smile. “I have a friend who really likes cookies, I just… Want to cheer her up a bit.”

“That is very thoughtful of you,” the man’s mustache twitched again, telling of his smile. “I will see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Klein. So much.”

The cook smiled again, genuinely happy to help her, and he went about the kitchen, searching through cabinets and drawers, before gesturing for her to come closer as he was standing near a counter, and she cautiously did, suddenly a bad feeling dawning on her.

“Here, you have everything you will need,” the man said, gesturing largely to the ingredients sat on the counter, with a handful of pots and wooden spoons. “I even found some chocolate chips from last week’s order.”

“Wait you… You want _me_ to make them?” She asked, now regretting her idea.

Klein’s mustache twitched again, and his eyes glinted with mirth as he lightly elbowed her in her side.

“It won’t taste the same if I’m the one making them.”

“But how will I know if they are good? I won’t taste them,” she countered, hoping she could return in her room and come up with something else.

“I will taste them for you, but _you_ make them,” the cook insisted, pulling a thick book towards them and flicking through the pages for a moment. “Just follow the recipe, it’s very simple. It’s just cookies, you can’t be wrong if you follow it.”

Before she knew it, an apron was tossed her way and landed against her chest, falling in her hands, and when she looked up again Klein had returned to his chopping, a large pile of vegetable still waiting on the table.

Lowering her eyes to the apron again, she let out a sigh of resignation as she held it in front of her, mulling it over for no more than a second, before putting it on with another sigh, and leaned over to the book, following the first step with the tip of her finger as she read it out loud, making Klein smile on his side of the kitchen.

****

Wind rushing in her ears as she braved the cold, early morning rain, she held the box tightly, wrapped in a plastic for it to not get wet, and she could feel how warm the box still was even through the plastic.

It was maybe four or five in the morning, the sky was paling, but she wanted to give them to Ruby while they were still warm, Klein had assured they were better then. And so she set out as soon as the cookies were ready, knowing that Ruby wouldn’t mind if she slept over.

Or, she hoped she wouldn’t mind. She could help her study during the day, while they were inside, or she could just sleep in Ruby’s room while the lycan would be doing… her usual things.

As she was more than halfway there, she hesitated, stopping her furious flying as the rain poured down on her, curling around the box even if the plastic would protect it from the rain. Fluttering her wings to keep steady, she looked back towards the castle, only seeing the tower bursting out of the distant canopy it seemed, but the castle itself was well hidden behind a soft hill.

The sky… it looked so dark and menacing, above it. Unwelcoming, and cold.

Maybe she should just turn back, she thought, lowering her eyes to the box. Give her the cookies tonight instead, when she was sure Ruby would be expecting her. She had always hated unannounced guests. Besides, it was morning, maybe Ruby wouldn’t even eat the damn cookies even if they were warm.

But then she turned towards the rapidly paling horizon. She maybe had a handful of minutes before the first rays of day landed on the sleeping town. If she left now and hurried, she could make it back to the castle with a few, but easily healable burns.

And a ruined ego, for sure. Winter was surely waiting in her bedroom, making sure she wouldn’t chickened out.

Or… She turned to the town again, her eyes briefly flicking to the horizon. She could make it to Ruby’s home unscathed. And… knowing Ruby, she would be happy to see her. Also knowing her, she would eat the entire box if she could.

A smile pulling the corner of her lips, she made her choice and dived forward, towards the town, and left the dark castle behind.

A sudden and loud crack sounded above her head, lightning flashing only moments after, and she clutched the box against her, valiantly braving the starting storm and hurrying the flutter of her wings, blinking the rain from her eyes to try and clear her vision.

Another crack shook her to her core, and this time, she found herself as if hung in mid-air, the air around her smelling strongly of sulfur as she felt every hair on her raise on end.

Purely on instinct, she jerked to the side. A blink later, lightning crashed right beside her, the heat burning the skin of her arm and damaging her wing just as she reached the treeline.

Holding back a yelp of pain as she gritted her teeth, she flapped her wings in an unsteady descent, landing heavily without injuring herself more than she was, and she limped to Ruby’s house, knowing it wasn’t far.

Finally finding herself in front of the house as another crack of thunder behind her made her wince, she raised a hand and knocked at the door, panting as she looked back at the storm.

Her arm didn’t hurt, though. It was already healing, she had fed more than enough before leaving.

The door swung open, and her attention was brought back to it as a loud gasp sounded, Yang staring wide-eyed.

“Hi,” she greeted with a smile, shifting a bit nervously as she tightened the hold she had on the box.

“Weiss?” A drowsy voice drawled behind Yang, still filled with sleep but easily recognisable still.

“Hi, Ruby!”

“_This_ is Weiss?” Yang was gasping, her lilac eyes glancing up and down her form.

Dipping her head confusedly, she moved to enter the house, but as she did she knocked her head against the top of the doorway, and she yelped, bringing a hand to her forehead.

… The top of the doorway?

Oh. That was why Yang was so surprised.

Changing form with a sheepish chuckle, she still held the box closely to her, rubbing a hand against her forehead.

“Ouch,” she muttered, and this time, she entered the house without resistance.

As the sisters were staring at her, confused as to why she was here, she stood awkwardly on the carpet and dripped on it as she brushed back a wet bang that stubbornly fell in her eye, and as she did, Ruby blinked, and suddenly the sleepy stare turned into an immensely alarmed one as the brunette crossed the distance in a single step and grabbed her arm before it fell back to her side.

“Is that a burn?” Ruby demanded, her voice already trembling with worry. “Did you fly in the storm?”

“I’m fine, Ruby, don’t worry-”

“You’re not fine, look, you’re hurt!”

The crack of thunder outside made her wince, and Ruby took it as proof as the brunette took the box from her hands only to discard it on the table, and she could see the building panic in her silver eyes, see how frantic her hands were as Ruby pulled a chair closer and all but forced her to sit.

Seeing her in a panic just for a scratch like this… didn’t sit right with her.

As Ruby’s hands flew by, she firmly grabbed them, locking her eyes with the lycan’s.

For a moment there was only the two of them, and she could hear the shallow pants Ruby was letting out. She could almost see how her heart was beating in the brunette’s chest, fast-paced and fear infused adrenaline making it pump faster than it should.

But she held her stare, hoping it could steady the young woman in some way.

“I’m fine, Ruby,” she softly said, her eyes shifting between liquid silver. “It’s just a scratch. Look, it’s already healed.”

Moving slowly, still keeping Ruby’s hands in hers, she showed her arm, the last traces of the burn now only a faint reddening on her skin that would entirely disappear in a handful of seconds.

The lycan’s eyes shifted to it, blinking, and she could see her tense shoulders relax, see the stress building in them bleed out in synch with the long, trembling breath she let out, and only now she noticed that Yang had been rubbing soothing circles on her sister’s back, her expression worried but at the same time darkened.

One of Ruby’s hands gently freed itself from her firm hold, before tentatively, with the tips of her fingers, brushed them along her arm where the burn had been, seemingly to make sure it was really gone.

Then, before she could prepare for it, Ruby leaned over and hugged her closely, burying her face in her neck.

Outside, thunder rumbled, distant already as the rain pattered on the windows somewhat soothingly in a constant drumming, and she had half the mind to simply push Ruby away, because she was soaked through with rain, dripping on the chair and floor, and Ruby would only wet her nightwear if she held her so closely…

But she closed her arms around the brunette firmly as she remembered the only other time they had hugged had been when Ruby had crossed the treeline and found herself far too close to the castle to her liking.

It seemed they always hugged when they thought the other had been in great danger.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Ruby murmured right in her ear, her warm breath against it sent a shiver down her spine, one that she hoped the brunette didn’t feel.

“I won’t make promises, but… I’ll try not to,” she answered in the same way.

Feeling Ruby nodding before she pulled away, her vision was then obscured by something suddenly falling on her head, and she froze, surprised.

Then, a hand gently rubbing her head caught her attention.

“I heard you dripping on the floor all the way to the bedroom,” Blake audibly yawned, and the hand on her head disappeared. “I’d say you’ll catch your death, but, well…”

Snatching what was a towel from her head and glaring at the witch behind her, who had the tiniest smirk curling the corner of her lips as she sat on the farthest chair from her, she had to restrain from growling in annoyance.

“Thank you, Blake, for your dedication.”

The faunus merely gestured at herself with an amused huff, and she raised her eyes to the ceiling, thinking it was better to let go before the two of them would end up in another argument, and proceeded to dry herself.

She returned her attention on Ruby, who still looked a bit pale and her eyes definitely were redder than usual, but the brunette was curiously eyeing the box she had carried all the way here, still wrapped in the plastic.

“What’s that?” Ruby asked, reaching for it as she asked.

“Open it and you’ll see,” she only said, perking up as her earlier enthusiasm came back tenfold.

Not needing any more encouragement, the young woman nearly tore the plastic and quickly pulled the box to her, before opening it, and she saw her widening her eyes, gasping softly. Beside her, Yang leaned forward over her sister’s shoulder and frowned upon seeing the box’s contents.

“Cookies?” The blonde sounded confused, looking up at her.

“They’re still warm!” Ruby excitedly exclaimed with a delighted gasp, already picking one and biting in it.

“Klein told me they were at their best when they are warm,” she nodded with a soft laugh, genuinely happy to see Ruby was.

But Yang was still staring at her, a flicker of concern in her eyes.

“You flew through a storm and got hurt on the way… to give us warm cookies?” The blonde resumed, plainly staring at her.

Shifting on her seat a bit awkwardly, she took advantage of the fact that Ruby seemed more interested by the cookies than the conversation, and she crossed her fingers over her lap, staring at the corner of the table as she ignored the blonde’s stare.

“It’s actually meant for Ruby,” she quietly started. “Since she has this hard exam next week and she has been working so hard all this time, I wanted to give her something that she liked to cheer her up.”

Blinking, Yang shifted a bit, and the flicker of concern shifted too, turning for a knowing glint.

“So you flew in the storm to give _Ruby_ warm cookies.”

“…Yes?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Did you make them yourself?” Ruby spoke around her mouthful of cookie, finally looking up from the box as she inadvertently saved her from Yang’s increasingly knowing smirk. “Who’s Klein? They’re really good!”

“Oh, um, yes I made them. Well I just… followed the recipe,” she chuckled softly, shrugging a single shoulder as she felt a bit embarrassed by the compliment. “Klein is… the caretaker of the cattle. He tasted a cookie to make sure they were good.”

Blake’s head tilted in the corner of her eye, and she had to refrain from sighing when she noticed it.

“So he’s a human?” The faunus asked, but for once in her life, she sounded genuinely curious and not… how she usually sounded. “Isn’t he afraid of you?”

“Why would he be afraid of me?” She barked back, bristling.

Genuinely surprised it seemed, Blake simply blinked back at her.

“I meant all of you? Since you’re vampires? I didn’t mean you personally?”

Relaxing as she felt ashamed of her flash of temper, she lowered her eyes to the table again, gathering her thoughts.

“We respect the work of the caretaker,” she finally muttered, her shoulders sagged. “Without him, the cattle would die. By him, we can feed regularly and on healthy hosts, because he is very good at his job. And in turn, Klein is the only human allowed inside the castle.”

“Hm. Glad to see vampires actively being tolerant.”

Narrowing her eyes at the witch, she once again bit back a comment to not end up in an argument, and as she was looking away, her attention went to Blake’s clothes or, as she watched the loose bathrobe sag around her form, she noticed the blasphemous amount of skin she could see, and she rigidly looked away, feeling the distant tingles on her cheeks that would have been a blush if she were human.

“What are you wearing,” she still barked, unable to change her tone in her embarrassment.

Blake didn’t seem bothered by it as her golden eyes went down on herself before looking up at her, then she simply shrugged.

“Nothing.”

Widening her eyes as she turned a bit more away from the faunus, she was met with the quiet groan of Ruby and saw her roll her eyes, whereas Yang stared a bit dreamily at the witch.

“Aren’t you cold?” She heard herself say.

If there was something she could remember from when she was still human, it was that she was always cold. She remembered wearing layers and layers to stave off the cold, but now she just felt… nothing.

Still, it made Blake snort as the witch shifted in her seat, and she could feel her golden eyes staring at the back of her head, now.

“With Yang in my bed, it’s impossible to be cold.”

“Are you implying-,” the blonde started, cockily leaning her hip against the table, a ridiculous grin pulling her lips.

“I meant literally. You are literally hot to the touch.”

Deflating at that, Yang’s shoulders sagged a bit.

“Oh…”

“But, you know, also hot in that way…” Blake added, gesturing meaningfully towards the blonde with her eyebrows waggling a bit, a corner of her lips curling up.

It made Yang grin blissfully as Ruby made retching sounds, cradling the box to herself almost desperately.

“Oh, _ew_ guys! You’re ruining my super good cookies!” The brunette whined loudly, but still brought another one to her mouth.

It seemed to bring Yang back from her dreamy staring as the blonde glanced over at her sister, her brows furrowing a bit.

“You shouldn’t eat too much cookies, Rubes, it’s not even six.”

Defiantly and incomprehensively parroting the blonde, Ruby still shoved a good portion of the cookie in her mouth, munching happily. It made Yang sigh tiredly.

“Give me one and I won’t say anything else.”

Immediately Ruby was offering one to her sister, then thoughtfully gave one to Blake too before the brunette took a seat right next to her, offering an oblivious smile as a couple of crumbles stuck around her mouth.

As she did, Yang was slowly moving to the hallway in a clear intention of going back to bed, absently taking a bite of her cookie.

“Don’t forget to brush your teeth after that, Rubles,” Yang was saying. “And they _are_ good. Thanks!”

“I’m not six, Yang, I know when to brush my teeth!”

It made the corners of the blonde’s lips curl upward, but she didn’t add anything else before disappearing behind the corner. Her attention was brought back when a hand settled on her shoulder, light.

She looked up at Blake, who was offering a small, but still genuine smile to her.

“Thanks for that,” the witch was softly saying, her golden eyes darting to Ruby. “She needed this.”

Giving a short squeeze before letting go, Blake went to the hallway and disappeared behind the corner too, before only her hand appeared, offering a thumbs up as a bitten cookie appeared beside it. Both disappeared a second after.

“It’s kind of a bummer that I can’t share them with you, though,” Ruby said, bringing her attention back. “Sharing is caring. Mom always used to say that everything tasted better when it was shared.”

Smiling softly as Ruby chuckled quietly at the memory, she simply shrugged a single shoulder, leaning back in a more relaxed position in her chair.

“I am perfectly content to simply watch you eat them, Ruby.”

Humming, the brunette fidgeted with a couple of cookies that were in the box, seemingly counting them.

“Thanks, anyhow. That’s really kind of you.”

“I wanted to make up for leaving so… hastily, earlier,” she softly said, lowering her eyes to the box. “And I wanted to cheer you up. You have looked a bit down for a couple of days, now.”

A soft smile graced Ruby’s lips as her silver eyes stayed on the box of cookies, and a silence settled on them as the brunette finished the remains of the one she had in her hand, before the young woman sighed a bit.

“Was it important?”

Blinking, she stared at Ruby, a bit confused.

“What was?”

Ruby looked up, giving her a sidelong glance.

“Your family meeting. Was it as important as you said it was?”

“Oh, um… yes, it was. My sister, Winter, she came home for the week,” she patented this white-lie, as it was not _entirely_ true, but it was as if. As far as she knew, Winter was only there since yesterday.

But instead of clearing, Ruby’s eyes went full alarmed, the brunette sitting a bit straighter in her chair.

“But shouldn’t you be with her? I mean if it’s been such a long time you last saw her…”

“Oh no, it’s completely fine!” She hastily reassured, cursing internally. She should have made up a better story. “She’s very busy, anyway.”

“Oh…”

Confused as why Ruby sounded so sad, she frowned and was about to ask what was wrong, but the brunette spoke first, toying with the crumbles in the bottom of the box.

“It’s just… If Yang was away for years or even months, if she came back, I’d spend all my time with her, because I would have missed her so much… Didn’t you miss your sister?” Ruby looked up at her, a sad look in her eyes.

She took a moment to answer, the expression of Ruby’s eyes creating an ache in her chest.

“Yes, I did miss her,” she finally answered. “It’s good to have her home.”

A smile appearing on the young woman’s lips, Ruby tapped the tip on her index finger on the table a few times, to stress the importance of what she was going to say.

“Tonight, you go home,” the brunette let out, serious. “And you spend some time with your sister. If you missed her, she must have missed you, too. She’ll make time for you.”

It made her huff with a smile but her stomach started spinning on itself once again, to see that Ruby was thinking about her relationship with her sister. She was so considerate and kind and wonderful, and when she stared at her intensely like this, the look in her eyes, that gleam that made her stare shine, she just found her so very beautiful-

Clearing her throat and halting her straying mind, she blinked as she looked away, back to the box that was still open in front of Ruby as she actively ignored the insistent tingling in her cheeks.

“Alright,” she finally dipped her head, thanking her vampire blood to hide her embarrassment.

It made Ruby smile happily, and she had to take a deep breath in to keep her mind steady. Apparently, in her tiredness, her thoughts had a tendency to stray, going back to those gorgeous silver eyes, and she couldn’t help but admire all the light freckles across the bridge of the young woman’s nose, or how the brunette’s eyes squinted when her smile was true.

She had to shake herself to attention, and she decidedly stared at the box, stubbornly trying to keep her thoughts in check.

But then Ruby closed the box with a sigh, pushing it a bit farther on the table, and she cautiously looked up, seeing that the brunette was barely holding a yawn back.

“Well, I’ll go brush my teeth and then… I think I’m going to take a nap,” Ruby informed, pushing her chair back to stand. “I mean, it’s really early. And you must be tired, too,” the woman added, eying her knowingly.

“Quite, indeed,” she mumbled in response, keeping her thoughts firmly in place.

“Go ahead, then,” the brunette pointed a thumb over her shoulder, towards her room. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

As Ruby disappeared in the hallway too, she slowly made her way to Ruby’s bedroom, and for a moment stared at the single bed there, small, too small for both of them to sleep with space between each other.

Remembering the only time they had slept there, shame gripped her, and instead of taking the bed she laid down on the floor, using the damp towel as pillow. It wasn’t really comfortable, but she knew she would fall asleep anyway. There was just something… soporific in the air, during day time.

When Ruby came back in the room, yawning largely and not looking where she was going, the brunette tripped on her and nearly fell to the floor, catching her footing at the last second as she groaned in pain, Ruby’s foot imprint probably appearing on her stomach.

But Ruby blinked down at her, confused.

“What are you doing on the floor? Why didn’t you take the bed?”

Opening one eye, she looked up at the woman in time to see the flicker of disappointment in her eyes, before shutting it back firmly.

“This is your bed,” she simply let out, curling a bit more on the floor. “I’ll be fine right here.”

She heard the floorboards creak a bit as Ruby shifted, unsure.

“… Do you need a blanket? I can give you a pillow.”

“Ruby, I can’t get cold,” she reminded calmly. “But if you have one to spare, I will take the pillow.”

There was another moment of silence and stillness, and she carefully cracked her eye open again, seeing how Ruby’s lips were pinched unhappily.

“Are you sure?” The brunette still asked, hesitant, and she closed her eye.

“Positive.”

Letting out a quiet sigh, she heard the young woman step around her and rummage on her bed, and soon, something was draped over her. Straightening her head to look down on herself, she saw that Ruby had draped a thin bedsheet over her, and before she could say anything, a pillow appeared in front of her face, obscuring her vision.

“Here,” the lycan said quietly.

“Thank you,” she accepted the pillow with a smile, holding back a comment about the blanket, as it was unnecessary.

But she knew Ruby only wanted her comfortable, and so she simply tossed aside the damp towel and instead settled with the pillow, pulling the bedsheet over her shoulder, and she closed her eyes, letting go of everything as she was drifting to sleep.

Behind her, soft rustling suggested that Ruby was shifting on her bed, and before long, a quiet sigh sounded.

“Honest question,” the brunette’s voice sounded, catching her drifting attention.

“What is it?” She mumbled, not even bothering looking back or opening her eyes.

“I really don’t mean to offend you or anything,” Ruby started cautiously, and it made her instantly frown. “But… Don’t, uh, don’t you sleep in, like, coffins?”

It made her snort as she turned just enough to send an amused glance over her shoulder at the lycan, feeling her lips curling up.

“What do you think this is, the Stone Age?” She let out teasingly. “No, the only thing we need is thick curtains. Incredible, isn’t it?”

“Oh…”

“Besides, even a padded coffin isn’t comfortable to sleep in,” she commented, settling back and closing her eyes. “You can’t move in them, there’s no space.”

It earned her a soft chuckle as she heard once again a quiet rustle.

“Not that I beg to differ, but you don’t really move much in your sleep,” Ruby merely commented, but she could hear the smile in her voice.

“Shut up,” she simply retorted.

The soft laugh it earned her made her smile contentedly as she settled again, pulling the bedsheet up to her nose, and she let out a long, deep sigh, and before it was over she was asleep.

****

They studied together, just like she had said she would, later that day, and as she helped Ruby, she realised that something… something was definitely different, between them.

She noticed every glances, every touch of Ruby’s hand against hers, noticed how Ruby kept slightly pulling her chair closer. She also wondered if the attentiveness of Ruby, whenever she was telling a story about a piece of history she could remember, wasn’t mixed with a bit of adoration.

There were things she realised Ruby noticed, too. Like when she, a bit obviously, hurried in front of her to pull her chair for her. Or when she went to fetch her jacket when she saw Ruby shiver. Or… any other thing she did.

She blamed it on the study, of course. Studies were important, she would say again and again, and as such, necessitated as less disturbances as possible. Ruby didn’t look like she believed her one bit, and neither did Blake and Yang, both of them occupying the living room, but… no one said a thing.

At last, the sun dipped on the horizon and under the low and heavy clouds, darkness was quick to conquer the outside, and almost as soon as the sun was hidden, Ruby all but shooed her out, insisting for her to spend time with her sister.

As she was about to leave, it was clear that both were reluctant to see the other go. She wanted to stay, pretexted that Ruby needed more studies. The lycan would pretend she needed it too, even though it was clear after today that the brunette was very well informed on the matter.

But Ruby insisted, and so she obliged. Knowing that no one was around after the day of rain, she changed form right at Ruby’s doorstep and took flight.

And just before she was out of view, she glanced back, seeing that Ruby was still staring at her, her shoulder leaned against the doorway. Then, Yang appeared beside her sister, for a second staring in her direction with her hands on her hips, before extending one towards Ruby, palm up.

The brunette, after a beat, clapped it, and even with the distance she heard the loud hooting Yang let out as she ruffled her little sister’s hair, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Then she was flying over the forest, and she couldn’t help the small giggle she let out, feeling light and restless and… giddy.

As she was lazily making her way to the castle, she _may_ have made a few spins and loop the loop over the canopy, never minding the faint drizzle of the night.

It was only when she was flying over the castle’s grounds that she spotted a familiar silhouette amidst the tall grass, and without surprise she saw it spread its wings and rise in the air, and she let herself hover to let the other person join her.

Winter made her way to her, already a knowing smirk on her lips.

“You are back early,” the oldest only said. “How did it go?”

“It went well,” she only said, too calmly.

“Mhm. If it went ‘only well’ why you are grinning so widely?”

“I was asked to spend some time with you,” she chose to say instead, turning her eyes on the scenery to escape the piercing gaze of her sister.

An appreciative hum sounded from the older woman, and she knew. She just knew she shouldn’t have said that. She could recognise that tone anywhere.

Winter would tease her with this for the rest of the night.

“How very thoughtful!” Her sister was saying beside her. “And I can’t help but wonder; she told you and you _listened_? Darling, she_ is_ changing you already.”

Rolling her eyes as Winter was chuckling at her lack of response, she made a sharp turn, hoping her sister would get the message, but Winter followed her right away, agile, too, in the air.

“Will you let this lycan lead you by the nose, too?” Her sister was continuing, never minding the roaring of the wind in her ears as she took some speed.

“If you don’t leave me alone about this, I swear I’m going back!” She yelled back, unable to sound as annoyed as she wanted to.

“Oh, if you think I am anywhere near finished with you, you are _so _sadly mistaken.”

Abruptly darting down at breakneck speed, she landed heavily, and she heard a beat later Winter do the same, the usually soothing sound of the breeze in the tall grass suddenly far too silent to her liking.

But before she could bark or retort something to her sister, the older woman simply stared at her, a cornered smile pulling her lips.

“Don’t be angry, Weiss, this is just… so new. Your first love! In two hundred and fifty years!”

“Forty eight,” she reminded dryly, folding her wings against her back as she feverishly glanced around, making sure they were truly alone. “And who says it’s my first love?” She added a bit late, trying to save face.

Winter blinked, and without an ounce of grace, _snorted_.

“Do I have to remind you how _you_ asked _me_ for advice on the subject last night?”

Her shoulders sagging as she couldn’t help the pout that formed on her face, she turned on her heels, deciding to start walking instead of flying, her sister joining her. The grass, that was almost shoulder length when she was in her original form, now barely brushed past her elbows.

“Why do you have to be so obnoxious about this?” She muttered under her breath, regretting ever confiding in her sister about Ruby.

“I won’t be if you tell me how it truly went,” her sister chided, lightly elbowing her.

Letting out an agonising sigh, she threw her head back exaggeratingly, effectively making Winter laugh softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next chapter should be the last....
> 
> Keyword: Should. It might not be!
> 
> Thank you for reading, until next chapter! <3


	6. Chapter 6

Days passed quietly, then weeks, with her going out each night to meet Ruby in the dark forest, always bumping into each other about halfway. It had become their little game, over the weeks: the one who had crossed more ground before meeting each other would win.

It was an unspoken game, unbound by rules but for the number of players, and _who_ the players were. Ruby, and her.

She felt strange in those weeks, but strange in a good way; lighter, more prone to laughter, always playing along on Ruby’s more teasing side, and some days she couldn’t fall asleep because her stomach was making those dizzying flips again, as she couldn’t wait for nightfall.

Winter found it endearing, as she would gently tease her little sister all the while of her stay. Then, when she left, the oldest said she would be back for the wedding, which earned her a dry slap on the arm.

More seriously, Winter affirmed she would be back in a month’s time, needing to see to some unfinished business just outside of town. She was sad to see her go so soon, but the thought of Winter coming back soon brightened the thought.

But right now, she focused on the celebration she had planned: Ruby had passed all her exams with flying colors, and she was bringing a batch of warm cookies with her, along with a present that was wrapped around her neck and flying freely behind her.

Oh, she was so proud of her, she couldn’t help but think, feeling her heart swell in her chest. Ruby was easily distractible even on the best days, but she put all her focus and dedication on her studies and had sat through all her classes, and she even wanted to pursue to become an engineer!

How fantastic was that?

She could vaguely remember how her father said every lycans were simply brainless beasts, with no notion of civil manners and no sign of intelligence.

And yet here came Ruby and Yang, both brilliant minds in their own ways and proving wrong to what her father had tried so hard to make her believe.

She was starting to believe her father had never stepped foot outside the castle’s grounds, and even more doubting he ever met a lycan once in his life.

But she pushed the thought aside as she could distantly hear the heavy pattern of Ruby’s paws on the ground, and she decided to settle down on a low branch, leaving the ground clear for the lycan to stop, knowing by now that Ruby always went top speed until the last second.

As expected, the large mass of fur arrived at full gallop, then harshly skidded to a halt right under the tree she was climbed on and leaving large gashes in the earth with her claws, and a second later the large head perked up and those bright silver eyes found her in the darkness, the large tail instantly wagging happily.

Then, she noticed the wet snout suddenly sniffing the air like a hound, and the silver eyes fell to the box she was carrying, her tail wagging faster.

Jumping down the tree as Ruby changed form, the brunette was excitedly jumping on the ball of her feet, a large smile on her lips.

“You made cookies again?” The lycan gasped in delight, turning her bright silver eyes to her.

Chuckling as she changed form too, she simply nodded before extending the box to the young woman, affection filling her entire being at the tiny squeak of pure joy Ruby let out.

“Congratulations for your exams, Ruby,” she softly let out as the brunette took the box. “I am very proud of you.”

It seemed to catch Ruby’s attention because the woman paused at that, before dipping her head as a dark blush spread on her freckled cheeks, and she shifted a bit on her feet, holding the box in her hands.

“Thanks, Weiss,” the brunette mumbled a bit, but she still flicked her eyes up at her. “It… It means a lot.”

She simply smiled in return, so ridiculously happy as she blissfully stared, but instead of opening the box Ruby seemed content to simply hold it closed, and shifted again, this time meeting her stare more frankly.

“How about we go to the beach?” The lycan proposed, perking up at her own idea. “We could sit on the sand and watch the ocean while I eat!”

Nodding in approval, she stepped closer as she was about to change form just as Ruby took a step forward, and for a second, they found themselves face to face, with only the tiny box between them.

They had sat close before, usually did, but… it wasn’t the same. They were shoulder to shoulder, not staring the other right in the face as a soft breeze blew, and her eyes followed a wild lock as it fell in front of Ruby’s eye, bothered by the wind.

Before she could stop herself, her hand seemingly having a mind of its own, she reached out and gently pushed the lock back behind Ruby’s ear, and let her touch linger there, curling her fingers just under her jaw.

She felt it when Ruby swallowed, her silver eyes staring at her so very intensely, as the tips of her fingers tingled in the heat emanating from the brunette’s skin.

She remembered as her eyes darted down to Ruby’s slightly parted lips, in the movies they had watched together, how such a scene would have preceded another, as one of the characters, on a… on a whim, on impulse, would simply lean in and steal a kiss, and right now, as she felt her heart flutter in her chest…

But she took a step back and looked away, clearing her throat quietly as she heard the quiet breath Ruby took in, noticing in the corner of her eye the brunette’s suddenly darker cheeks.

Changing form before getting once again too distracted to do so, it was in a strangely tense silence that she took flight, Ruby secured in her arms, as she cursed herself in every language she knew internally.

It wasn’t a long flight from where they were in the forest to the beach. But taking advantage of the roaring of the wind and the flutter of her wings, she discreetly glanced down at Ruby, who was staring out just as she was, her eyes wide open as she looked eager to see all she could.

She couldn’t help but think about how, ever since she realised what Ruby was doing, they had been in a strange sort of dance around each other. She believed they both knew how the other felt, but… it seemed like both of them didn’t quite know what the next step was.

Suddenly turning her head and staring at her as if she had felt her stare, Ruby blinked, before offering a smile, content, and she responded in kind, returning her attention to the rapidly approaching beach.

Her landing was muted by the waves washing on the sand as the flutter of her wings dislodged a few rocks and leaves and created a small cloud of dust, but it soon fell back with the breeze as she changed form after Ruby took a few steps towards the water, making sure she was surefooted before letting go.

“I don’t think I can ever get tired of this,” the brunette was softly saying, her voice so quiet that she barely heard it, but it caught her attention as she stepped closer, standing right beside her.

“What? The ocean?” She asked in the same way, not wanting for anything in the world to disturb Ruby as she wore such a somber expression.

“Yeah,” the lycan murmured, her dark brows furrowing a bit as her eyes held a bit of wistfulness. “Back on Patch it was the sea, but… It’s kind of the same view. An eternity of water, blending in with the horizon. If you focus away, you can’t even tell what is water and what is sky.”

Humming for only answer, she directed her eyes away and out to the horizon, proving Ruby’s point. In the dark, it was even truer; it only got darker and darker, blending in the shadows.

But before she could dwell on it further, she noticed that the lycan was turned towards her, and looked back in time to see her tilt her head.

“That’s a pretty scarf,” Ruby commented, reaching a hand to feel the fabric.

“Oh, thank you. You like it?”

“I do! It’s so red, and it looks really comfy…”

“Well I’m glad you like it,” she said, delighted, as she took it off from her neck. “Because it’s for you.”

As Ruby stared with wide eyes, she took advantage of the stillness of the young woman and arranged the scarf loosely around the brunette’s neck, pulling here and there to make it even as Ruby finally blinked, looking down on herself with a hand flattening over one end of the scarf, once again feeling the fabric.

“You’re giving it to me?” The brunette softly gasped, returning her eyes on her.

“Yes,” she smiled, proud of herself. “I never wore it until today. Found the color too bright, too loud, and, well… A scarf is kind of useless, for me. But I thought you might like it.”

“Thank you, Weiss…”

As Ruby mumbled the words, burying her nose in the fabric that reminded her of the lycan’s favorite jacket, she only smiled and started walking at a leisure pace, the brunette doing the same soon enough.

“Besides,” she decided to add, a corner of her lips curling up. “As the nights are growing colder, I keep seeing you shivering and I don’t always have a jacket on me to loan you, so…”

It made Ruby chuckle in the depth of the scarf and it made her smile as another silence settled on them, this time comfortable. They walked slowly, Ruby apparently not in a hurry to devour her cookies as she usually would, and she kept her eyes up to the stars shining above, the night’s sky wonderfully clear as the moon was nowhere to be seen.

Then, she heard Ruby make a quiet sound, and when she turned to her, gently curious, the brunette started to blush.

It made her slightly frown, a touch of concern fluttering in her chest.

“What is it?” She asked, wondering what happened.

It took a moment before some kind of answer was offered, and the brunette shifted the box in her hands as she seemed to bury her face deeper in the red fabric of the scarf, only her eyes and up visible, now.

“The scarf,” Ruby mumbled, her voice muffled by the fabric.

But when no other words came out, she arched her brows, blinking.

“…Yes?”

“It smells like you,” was the quiet answer.

Offering a nearly silent ‘oh’ in response, she returned her attention in front of her, feeling the distant tingles in her cheeks that spoke for her embarrassment, and before she could think better of it, she opened her mouth, her voice rising in the awkward silence.

“Is it… is it a good thing?”

Another silence fell on them as they took a couple steps more.

“…Yes.”

Nodding to herself, she looked away towards the water because she was sure, vampire blood or not, there was a blush on her cheeks, now.

****

When Ruby asked if she wanted to sleep over, she was almost ashamed of how fast she said yes, by now uncaring about how her father would react if he noticed she wasn’t there.

She was, actually, very uncaring about her father in general, anyway.

And so they found herself sitting in her favorite corner of the couch as she held the same cushion as she always did, but this time it was Ruby in the corner, and she was comfortably curled up against her, the lycan’s arm looped around her shoulders as the story unfolded on the screen. Ruby was eating some kind of crunchy thing that apparently was named popcorn, and she kept offering her some, before remembering too late that she couldn’t eat it.

She would always offer a sheepish smile, before throwing one in the air that fell neatly right in her mouth with the ease of someone who had spent an awfully long time to get it right.

Nonetheless, she found it impressive, and Ruby was all too happy at her praise.

For once, they were alone, that night. Yang was working, and Blake wasn’t at the house when Yang wasn’t home, and so Ruby had closed all the lights, only to be lighted by the TV.

It was a whole other dynamic, in the dark like this. They were so close and she just kept snuggling closer to Ruby’s warmth, seeking it and now needing it whenever they were close. But it all felt so… intimate.

Just the two of them in a cocoon of warmth and darkness as, for the moment, they were alone in the universe.

As the movie neared its end, she realised that Ruby’s breaths were slow and deep, and, glancing up cautiously and trying to not move too much, she looked up, only now noticing that the brunette fell asleep, her face half buried in her folded arm and her nose dipped in the scarf she was still wearing.

She smiled softly and settled back against her, and when the movie ended, she took the remote from Ruby’s limp fingers and, after analysing the buttons for a long moment, managed to at least close the TV.

In the darkness, she closed her eyes and listened to Ruby’s breathing, deep and slow, relaxed and comfortable. She was glad that the lycan felt so at ease with her that she could just… fall asleep.

But as time went on, she started to feel restless. The night was still young, and unlike Ruby, she had slept all day. Even though she wished she could fall asleep like this, she knew she couldn’t. And before waking the lycan because she was moving too much in her restlessness, she decided to slowly, cautiously leave the soft heat of Ruby in search of something to do.

Wandering the silent and dark house like a wistful ghost, she stopped her roaming at the bottom of the stairs, looking up them as she realised she had never went on the second floor. After a quick glance towards Ruby’s form now slouching a bit more on the couch, she silently made her way up, eager to see this unknown part of the house.

It turned out to only be three rooms; on the left, some kind of large study that had one of the largest window of the house on the far wall, a large, massive desk that sat in the middle of the room as it was framed by large bookshelves.

As she got closer to the wooden desk, she realised there was a pile of box that were still full of books, the surface of the desk barren of anything but the accumulated dust, and as she eyed the shelves, she saw that only a handful of books had been stowed away.

Stepping around the desk and taking a knee to observe the content of one of the box, she picked up a few books, and as she frowned at one of the covers, turning it around, something fell from it.

Trading the book for the mysterious object, she soon realised it was a picture. A picture of a man, short blond hair and piercing blues eyes staring back at her with a wide smile she was strangely familiar with, as two young girls were holding a banner in front of him, and she recognised the wild, blonde mane and the shorter but just as wild mass of brownish-red hair as Yang and Ruby.

It made her smile softly, thinking that it may very well be their father as she read what was written on the banner.

_Number one teacher! (And also number one dad)_

A teacher? She thought, furrowing her brows a bit. Ruby never mentioned her father was a teacher. Back in her time, a teacher was highly respected, looked up to. Did it change over the centuries?

A sound that she did not recognise coming from the hallway made her jump slightly, and after she froze for a second, making sure everything was still again, she slipped the picture back in the book, and got out of the study, silently making her way to the room that was right in front of the stairs.

As she saw the toilet and bathtub, she figured it was the restroom. And the sound came again, as if someone was halfway from chocking but still breathing through and, curious, she closed in on the third room, seeing the door was left ajar.

Pushing with a single finger and opening the door wider as it creaked loudly, she gritted her teeth, glaring at the door just as the snore came again, and her eyes went to the origin of the noise.

The room was dark too, but she could see the unmade bed, the nightstand full of scattered papers and glasses and so many other things she couldn’t see, and there was a silhouette, sitting alone in front of the window, slouched on a chair.

She vaguely recognised the short blonde hair from the picture she had seen only moments ago, and could see the stubble beard on his chin and cheeks, kind of long now. With his head leaned forward and his chin planted in his chest, the next breath came out as a loud snore as the man slept on the chair, one of his arms falling limp by his side.

She remembered Ruby saying that her father kind of shut down after they left Patch, and she let her gaze wander on the room, finding the floor full of discarded clothes as there were even a couple of drawers from the dresser that were still inches open.

As her eyes returned to the man that was Ruby and Yang’s father, she was strangely reminded of her mother, that she had found more than once sleeping soundly in her chair, alone in the garden, the empty bottle of wine dangling from her numb fingers.

Backing away from the room and returning the door to its initial position, she shook her head slowly before making her way to the stairs, climbing them down as silently as she could.

Finding Ruby at the same place she had left her, she smiled, now deciding to go to familiar territory as she entered Ruby’s room, flicking the light on.

The young woman’s room was a wonder of things she didn’t know the function of, and she took a moment in the center of the room to take it in, letting her eyes travel from the bed to the battered dresser on the other side.

Deciding to go there, she let her fingers run along the top of it, before deciding to open one of the drawers, eying its content, and closed it seconds after when it was only clothes. Doing the same with the other drawers, she let out a long breath as she straightened her back when she found nothing of interest, moving instead to the wardrobe, in the corner.

Opening the doors and peering inside, she only hummed when she was met with a little more formal wear, shirts and dress pants standing in neat rows. She wondered for which occasions those were.

Closing the doors and opening the drawer under it, she paused as she did, wondering if Ruby would be upset if she knew that she was actively searching her room. But her eyes landed on a pad of paper, pens of all kind scattered in boxes and some even roaming freely on the bottom of it.

Perking up at her find, she pulled on the drawer to open it wider, and even found a few sticks of charcoal in a transparent, plastic bag.

She felt vaguely offended that her favorite material of drawing was treated so carelessly, but she still took the bag, pulling the pad of paper out and, sitting on the edge of the bed, paged through it, her eyes widening.

It seemed that this pad was used regularly, she noticed, turning her head this way and that, trying to understand what was drawn. Some were more advanced than others, but they looked like blueprints of some kind, Ruby experimenting with a couple of common things that, if she paused, she could recognise.

Like the desk. She could recognise at least that.

Still, there were plenty of empty pages and, decided, went back in the living room, flicking on the light in the hallway as she did. She didn’t want to wake Ruby up with it, but she still needed light if she wanted to draw. She stood in the living room, considering the young woman sleeping, moving from a foot or two to the side, then stepping back once.

There. The light, it was perfect right here.

Leaving what she was carrying on the spot on the floor, she went in the kitchen and brought back a chair, before taking place in it, found an empty page and freed one of the sticks of charcoal from the bag, and for a long moment, observed her subject.

The light created soft shadows on her face as she slept, but her expression was peaceful, her lips parted but still somewhat curled up, the line of her brows was relaxed. Her position would be another thing, but she was confident in her abilities.

And, knowing this activity would consume the rest of the night and focus her attention, she started drawing, using the stick as ruler, gauging the distance and dimension.

There was something unique, in drawing someone else. It was her favorite. Drawing sceneries and things were fun, but there was something more personal about drawing someone.

She remembered how Winter would elegantly obliged whenever she asked her, sitting still in a position of her choosing. They would sometimes talk, but she would be far too focused on her work to really hold a conversation. Then, when it was done and if Winter liked it, she would hang it, somewhere in her room.

It had been awhile, though. She felt like she was a bit rusty, but she took her time, getting her bearings again.

She wasn’t aware of how much time passed since she sat down, but Ruby stayed in the same position, being a wonderful subject unknowingly, until the back door of the house opened behind her, making her jump in surprise.

Turning around, she saw Yang enter as her eyes darted to the clock quietly ticking, hung on the wall, she realised it was just hours before dawn, and the blonde closed the door with a deep sigh, closing her eyes and leaning her back to it.

Apparently, Yang hadn’t noticed her.

Shifting in her chair and making it creak quietly, it still earned the blonde’s attention as her head snapped to her, her lilac eyes staring right at her and, after a second, recognition and surprise followed.

Then, her eyes went to Ruby, still sleeping soundly on the couch, before returning to her or, more accurately, on her lap, to the drawing.

And even though Yang looked exhausted, a teasing smile still broke on the blonde’s lips as she stepped closer, leaning a bit down to whisper.

“Oh, _Gods_,” Yang was saying under her breath, winking at her. “‘Draw me like one of your French girls’?”

Blinking, utterly confused, she frowned, wondering if Yang was well, after all.

“I beg your pardon?” She quietly said back, quickly glancing back to the young woman on the couch, to make sure she hadn’t moved.

“It’s a line from- You know what? Never mind. You’re going to find out on your own.”

As Yang winked again poked her nose with a finger, she narrowed her eyes at the blonde, but Yang’s attention returned to the drawing, moving a bit more behind her to look at it from over her shoulder.

“It’s nice, though,” the blonde was saying gently, close to her ear. “I think Ruby’s going to fall more in love with you when you show it to her.”

“Oh thank y- Wh-what did you say?” She had half the mind to quiet her voice, the tingles very insistent in her cheeks and even her neck.

“Please, Weiss,” Yang merely rolled her eyes, lightly nudging her shoulder. “I know you know. And I know Ruby knows about you, too. You two have been walking on eggshells quite obviously around each other for weeks, now.”

Swallowing thickly at that, she felt a distant pain in her chest, like a pinch or a prick of nervousness as she anxiously met the lilac eyes, hesitant. She expected a warning, or… Or even caution, in Yang’s eyes.

But no. They were open and honest and frank, like they had always been.

“Do me and Blake a favor and kiss the girl. I’m getting tired of hearing Ruby vomiting rainbows and butterflies whenever she talks about you.”

Blinking, she dipped her head as an awkward silence settled over them, and she nervously toyed with the stick that was still in her hand, blackening her fingers in the way.

“But…” She weakly argued, coming back to this one, and first barrier. “But I’m a vampire…”

“And my girlfriend is a witch,” Yang was quick to follow, regarding her with such seriousness that she wondered if Ruby didn’t take it from her. “In this house, we don’t care what you are, sweets. Just treat her well, and we’ll get along.”

Squeezing her shoulder gently and offering a kind smile before moving away, she was left speechless in her chair, and as she distantly heard a door closing quietly, she let her eyes flicker down to her drawing, mostly done by now.

As the ticking of the clock was the only sound filling the silence, she spent a long, long time wondering what to do.

****

“Oh my Gods,” Ruby was whispering, an entire night’s sky’s worth of stars hung in her eyes.

“Ruby, it’s not… It’s not finished…” She was nervously wringing her hands as the young woman looked up at her, a mile wide smile on her lips.

“I can’t believe it! You drew me like one of the French girls!”

As she heard Yang snickering behind her, she felt herself bristling as she glared back at the blonde, then back at Ruby, who was still staring at the drawing with eyes full of wonder.

“Seriously what’s with the French girls? You keep saying this and yet both of you are not even French!”

“It’s just a line from-” Ruby started gently before being rudely interrupted by Yang yelling incomprehensibly, obviously trying to cover her sister’s voice.

The brunette stared at her sister, a bit dumbfounded, and tentatively opened her mouth, Yang yelling instantly as she did. But the blonde sent them a wink from in front of the stove, flipping the pancake she was cooking.

“How about… you show her what it is?” The eldest sister suggested.

With a huff, Ruby rolled her eyes, setting the drawing down.

“It’s, like, a three hours movie, Yang.”

“Then just show her the scene!”

She couldn’t understand why Yang’s grin kept inching larger, nor why Ruby stayed silent for a few more moments after that, shifting awkwardly, but she hated being kept in the dark. Even more when it felt like she was being laughed at.

“I want to see it too. I want to understand what you are talking about.”

Visibly paling as Ruby once again shifted on her feet, she heard Yang snickering again but this time she kept her eyes to the brunette, setting her jaw and lifting her chin, feeling her hands curling into fists by her sides.

With a resign sigh, the lycan’s shoulders slouched as she pulled her phone out of her jean’s back pocket, which made her frown, huffing.

“Ruby, why are you taking your phone? As far as I know, you are not about to make a phone call.”

“I’m not,” the brunette assured, already thumbing the screen.

Curious, she stepped closer and invaded Ruby’s personal space by pressing against her side to see, too, what she was doing on the screen. At present, Ruby was simply writing ‘Draw me like one of your French girls’ in a white bar, and she frowned.

“What’s that? What are you doing?”

“I’m asking it to find me something,” Ruby vaguely explained, and she figured it was because the real answer would be far too long to explain.

Still, it made her gasp as she looked up, suddenly excited.

“You can do that?”

“Yeah!” Ruby smiled, only too willing to stray from the initial objective. “You can ask it things, whatever you want, and it will find the answer, or… the thing you’re searching for. What do you want to know?”

“I… I don’t know, give me a second…”

Not expecting the question, she feverishly racked her brain, trying to find something to ask, until an idea struck her.

“Cookie recipes?” She tried, looking up at Ruby.

The brunette’s face broke into a large smile as she quickly tapped on the screen, chuckling softly.

“There’s plenty of those, you’ll see,” the lycan assured, before turning the phone to her for her to see.

There were a lot of words, and she blinked, adjusting her vision, before reading the first one out loud.

“Chocolate milk and coconut cookies, recipe. What’s a coconut?”

Widening her eyes, Ruby stared plainly at her.

“You don’t know?”

She felt her eye twitch.

“Ruby, if I explicitly ask, it’s because I, indeed, do not know what it is.”

Offering a sheepish smile and rubbing the back of her head, the brunette then returned her attention on the phone, tapping again on the screen, before once again turning it a bit more to her.

“It's this big thing that grows in palm trees, and you can break it open and drink the water inside.”

“It produces water?”

“It says here,” Ruby mumbled as her eyes were quickly following the words. “That if you grate coconut pulp and compress it, it’s going to make coconut milk.”

“It produces milk too?!” She exclaimed, more confused than ever. “What is this, a cow?”

“It’s not really milk, Weiss,” the brunette chuckled fondly, apparently amused of her confusion. “Okay, how about something else? What do you want to know?”

It took a couple of seconds for her to think, then she perked up.

“How many minutes there are in a years?” She asked, excited. “Does it know?”

“Oh it knows,” Ruby, once again, assured. “There are five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes in a year.”

“Oh,” she softly let out, genuinely surprised. “Interesting. So you can ask it anything?”

“Yeah!” Ruby nodded.

“And it’s going to give you the answer?”

“If there’s one, sure!”

“Incredible! How can a phone be so practical? And I thought _my_ phone was handy! Ha!”

She scoffed just at the thought, making the sisters laugh as she did. If she had the chance to even have such a device, she would be a scholar, by now… Which made her think about Ruby’s recent exams.

“How could you be even worried with your exams if you have this at home?” She asked, huffing. “You have all the knowledge of the world at the tip of your fingers! I wouldn’t even go outside if I had one, I would be busy acquiring knowledge!”

“Yeah, well… I guess, since we’re living with it, we don’t really think much about how lucky we are to have that,” Ruby slowly let out after a beat, lowering her eyes to the device. “I mean… months of search in books and archives can be found in three seconds right here.”

“And it is amazing! I mean, I live eternally and do you really think I like spending months searching for something?”

“I’m guessing no,” Ruby chuckled quietly, looking up at her.

“And you are correct!”

Their attention was brought back when they heard something sliding on the table, and they turned their heads in synch to the origin of the noise, which was a plate full of pancake stopping neatly in front of an empty chair, at the table, and nowhere near Ruby.

They stared at it for a second before both of them looking up at Yang, puzzled, who only winked again, preparing another pancake.

The door beside them flew open and effectively making them jump in surprise as Blake entered, orange leaves stuck in her hair and out of breath.

“Did I miss anything?” The witch panted, her golden eyes searching the room before finally falling on them.

“Nah, Ruby decided to show her what her phone could do instead,” Yang casually said, keeping an eye on the pan.

“Oh,” Blake instantly relaxed at that, before falling in the empty chair where the plate of pancakes waited, and took one with her bare hands before she gestured towards them, vaguely. “You may proceed.”

“Wha-” Ruby started, before being interrupted by the faunus’ loud gasp when her eyes landed on the drawing still on the table, turning it to her.

“She drew you like one of the French girls!”

“What is it with _all of you_?” She practically yelled and was just on the edge of pulling her hair out, her annoyance and irritation coming back tenfold. “Ruby, show it to me right now, or I might strangle you one by one!”

It was a lot more hesitant now that Ruby took back her phone, letting out a loud sigh as she did, but she valiantly tapped on the screen as she pressed closer, eying suspiciously everything to try and find anything remotely related to the subject, and she saw Ruby press her thumb on something on the screen, before it flicked over and a video started to play out.

“Here you go,” she hear the brunette quietly mutter, and she was left holding the device, Ruby leaving her side.

She heard absently the scrape of a chair and the wood creak a bit when the lycan sat down, and she heard too the soft chuckle of Blake, but all her attention was to the video as she heard the two characters talking.

At some point, a wide smile pulled her lips as she excitedly looked up, pointing to the phone she was holding.

“She said it!” She was cheering, returning her eyes to the screen. “She said ‘draw me like one of your French girls’!”

Hearing the responding chuckle (and snicker) emanating from the women around the table, she still stared excitedly, enjoying the video, before her expression soured a bit.

“Oh, dear,” she couldn’t help but let out when she saw the woman in the video coming back with a very, very light robe that was see-through.

Letting out a panicked sound as she waved a nervous hand beside her, she slapped it over her eyes the moment the woman took it off to lay down on the couch, the usual tingles in her cheeks now almost painful as she offered the phone back blindly.

“I _so_ did not draw you like one of the French girls!” She let out in a strangled, embarrassed voice.

“I know,” the brunette sighed and she made a crack between her fingers to look as the phone was taken from her hand while Blake and Yang were laughing heartily.

“You weren’t even in your… simplest apparel, why would you even _say_-”

“It wasn’t for that!” Ruby quickly interrupted, a dark blush rapidly climbing up her face. “It was just because you were drawing me while I was laying down on the couch, it’s just a joke…”

There was a long silence as she let her fingers draw close again, keeping it firmly in place as she pinched her lips in an unhappy line.

“I don’t think I can look at you ever again,” she muttered, but the women in the room still heard as an audible snort sounded.

“Why, you’ll keep thinking about Ruby without her cloth- URGH!”

There was a sudden and loud scraping of chair as another seemed to tumble over, something heavy crashing down with a thud and the floor trembling, and there were noises of straining, gasps and pants as a strangled giggle sounded.

“I bet twenty bucks on Ruby,” Blake’s voice calmly sounded, just a hair from sounding bored.

“Wha- You’re supposed to take _my_ side!” Yang wined, her voice tight and out of breath.

A loud smack sounded and a groan came from Yang, and the straining stopped as suddenly as it started, instead footsteps came closer as she heard someone breathing, a bit faster than usual, but after what appeared to be a brawl with her sister, it was only normal.

“Come on, Weiss,” Ruby quietly panted, and she felt her nudge the hand that was firmly over her eyes. “Look at me.”

“No,” she stubbornly said.

Ruby nudged her hand again, a soft laugh gracing her ears at that.

“Come on,” the brunette insisted, gently. “Will you spend the rest of your life with your hand hiding your eyes?”

“Maybe.”

“Aw… But then you can’t see any movies, you can’t read, you can’t see the moon and stars…”

“Mm.”

“… And you can’t see me?”

Pausing at that, she took a sharp intake of air before, cautiously, creating the tiniest crack between her fingers, just enough to see one of Ruby’s silver eyes staring right at her seemingly so closely, and when their eyes locked, she saw how it squinted, the brunette smiling.

“Almost there!” The lycan playfully encouraged, lightly touching her elbow.

She took another steadying breath and, slowly, finally let her hand slip from her eyes, and swiftly Ruby took it before it fell back to her side, the brunette’s smile soft and gentle as their eyes locked again.

“Hi,” Ruby breathed.

“Hi,” she let out in the same way, a smile touching her lips.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, young love,” Yang’s voice, once again, broke the charm as they turned their heads to the blonde, Ruby’s blush apparent in her face again.

Leaning over to Blake without even a second of attention in their direction, Yang smiled largely at the witch, who only looked back at her with a small smile, affection in her golden eyes.

“Remember when we were like that?” The blonde asked, lazily leaning her cheek on a loose fist.

“Mhm. But it went way easier.”

“Really? Why do you say that?” Yang sounded truthfully surprised, and the blonde leaned closer to Blake as the faunus brushed back a blonde bang behind Yang’s ear.

“Well, you didn’t have an obnoxious older sister teasing you twenty four/seven, for starters.”

The raucous laugh of Yang rung in the room as both her and Ruby took a step back, the brunette rubbing the back of her head sheepishly while she held herself with a little more force than usual, the tingles still stubbornly present in her cheeks.

But as Blake’s voice sounded again, calm and soothing, she couldn’t help but glance to the side and noticed that Ruby was doing the same, and their eyes locked again, for a moment.

Before they both looked away in synch again, Ruby’s blush darkening and her trying to hide in the depths of her shoulders, shortly wondering if she could die of embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the last! There MAY be an epilogue, though ;)
> 
> Thank you for reading! See you next chapter! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So sorry for the delay, I mean, first of all, this is longer than the other chapters...  
Then we had this massive windstorm, resulting in a power outage that lasted two days and a half,  
And then, I just bought Darksiders 3, so......... #oupsies
> 
> Anyways, just a heads up: this chapter is the reason I rated the story mature. If you thought Jacques would stay on the sidelines, you were sadly mistaken.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it still!

She was sometimes amazed at how life was strange, at times. She remembered how her life had only been an endless list of disappointments, before she met Ruby.

Before she met Ruby, her life had seemed like an endless darkness, so thick that nothing could break through. Now, however, she was more than willing to let Ruby’s sun filter and clear this darkness.

She wondered how different it would be, had she been out five minutes later. Would she have met Ruby anyway? Or would she have died that morning, graced by the sun’s warmth one last time?

She didn’t know, and honestly, didn’t want to know. She was perfectly content with how things turned out as she smiled fondly at Ruby, who was in the middle of telling her something that she vaguely remembered the subject, and she was just so happily oblivious to the brunette’s words right now, the meaning of them losing their worth as they traveled the short distance from Ruby’s lips to her ears.

And the lycan seemed to notice sooner than later, the flow of words slowing as a smile pulled her lips too, and Ruby sat her hands on her hips as she stared at her for a moment, her silver eyes shining with amusement.

“You didn’t hear what I was saying, huh?” The brunette accurately guessed.

Shamelessly, she shrugged, feeling her smile inching larger.

“Not a word,” she softly let out, and it made Ruby exaggeratedly sigh before playfully pinching her arm, not enough to hurt, though.

“What am I going to do with you?” The brunette laughed softly, but still offered a hand to her, palm up and waiting.

She took it in a heartbeat, slipping her hand in Ruby’s without an ounce of doubt as the lycan offered a soft squeeze and a smile, before they delved deeper into the forest, a second home for them by now.

She liked those nights, where they would simply roam as they talked about anything and everything. But as usual, as the full moon got closer, Ruby’s restlessness only increased, and so, as the days rolled by and the moon slowly took over its entire stage, they often raced one another through the forest.

She would take flight moments after the sun had set from the castle, and would cross the distance in a wink to join Ruby, who would chase after her from the ground. She was always amazed at the speed of the lycan; as she was in the air, she had always figured she would be faster.

And yet, when they did have a proper race, it was as demanding and tiring as it was fun, slaloming between tree trunks as the pounding of Ruby’s large paws on the ground resonated all the way to her bones and pushed her to go faster.

At some point, she had used the long claws of her hands to playfully pull at Ruby’s fur as they raced, distracting the lycan in her run.

Ruby said it was cheating. She begged to differ with ‘it’s being a good sport, Ruby’. The lycan had rolled her eyes and shoved her in a bush.

Still, it became their little game. She would try to pull Ruby’s fur, and in turn, the lycan would try and grab her, using every means necessary, be it climbing in a tree and jumping if she had to.

Even if Ruby couldn’t talk when she was taking her lycan form, she could always tell when she was having a good time; her tall, fluffy ears stood straight on her head, and the massive tail she had kept wagging, like an overgrown dog. It was the longer limbs and claws, and the fact that the lycan could walk on her two feet that stated she wasn’t just an overgrown dog.

There were also the playful growls and happy barks, mixed with her laughter that resonated through the forest, filling the silence of the night and quietening the nocturnal animals as they rushed to an undecided finish line.

The moon was full, held high in the night’s sky and illuminating everything its rays touched. They were racing through the woods, as usual, going for a different part of the forest, stumbling into a clearing as she was lightly pulling at one of Ruby’s ears, the lycan growling as she tried to catch her leg with a clawed hand, but she simply pushed her wings, lifting higher in the air with a loud, crystalline laughter that echoed in the clearing, causing the hand to miss its mark only by an inch.

Slowly drifting away from the clearing, she led the race, slaloming in tight turns between trees and bushes, for the canopy was too dense in this part of the forest to simply break through unscathed, and she could almost feel Ruby’s hot pants right behind her, and in this moment, it was as if her heart was beating again, adrenaline coursing through her veins, and she was smiling harder than she ever did before.

Just as they broke out of the treeline and went to the tall grass that was familiar to her, Ruby lunged behind her, and as she changed the course of her flight as a rise in the land in front of her would have caused her to crash right into it, it gave Ruby the chance to cross the space between them and, finally, catch her.

Instantly she folded her wings snuggly against her back as she let Ruby curl her large body around hers, and they tumbled across the land, the tall grass rustling as they kept rolling and rolling for their momentum had been so great.

Finally they stopped, and they both returned to their original form laughing heartily, Ruby finding herself on top of her amidst the spot of crushed grass they had created.

Their eyes locked as their laughter died down, but a soft smile still remained on their lips, and in this moment, time seemed to stop as the light of the moon created gentle shadows across Ruby’s features, the rest of her painted in silver.

Suddenly holding her breath as she _realised_ just how close they were, she blinked, and Ruby seemed to realise it too at the same time, a blush darkening her cheeks that she could see, even in the darkness.

And yet, Ruby didn’t pull away, nor did she pushed her away. They simply stayed still, transfixed, under the moon’s soft light, and Ruby’s eyes shone like they never did, proving once again that she had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

A soft breeze blew, disturbing Ruby’s hair as a few locks fell across her face, and she surprised herself when she brought a hand up to gently brush them back behind the young woman’s ear, her touch lingering for a moment more.

She saw Ruby swallow thickly then, her silver eyes taking her in as she caressed the lycan’s cheek with the back of her fingers, a feeling she had never felt before twisting her guts but soothed the ache at the same time.

And her eyes drifted to Ruby’s lips, so close to her and so, so tempting. In this moment, everything felt so perfect, as if all of it was softly falling into place, seemingly allowing this to happen. And for the first time, she let the temptation win, and holding her breath, she lifted her head and, lightly, hesitantly, brushed her lips against Ruby’s.

The soft, quiet gasp coming from the brunette made her chest ache, as if a giant, freezing hand was clenched around the remains of her heart, nervousness making it squeeze the organ tightly. She wondered shortly if, had this hand not be there to secure her heart inside her chest, it would still be there or if it would have burst out of it as soon as their lips touched.

Time seemed to freeze as she settled back, her stomach buzzing and doing flips and spins as she anxiously waited for a reaction, but Ruby looked every bit surprised, her eyes wide and staring straight at her, almost through her.

As she was about to apologise, already cursing herself inside for thinking it was _somehow_ alright to copy those damn movies, the lycan blinked once, then twice, and, slowly, a cornered smile pulled Ruby’s lips, finally coming out of her shock.

Just as she lifted her head again, Ruby met her halfway, their lips meeting in a hesitant and chaste kiss, both of them seemingly testing the boundaries, and they parted with just that, blinking, their eyes wide in surprise.

As Ruby looked just about to apologise, pulling away, she grabbed her arms almost out of reflex, stopping her, and she was the one to reach out, gently pulling the lycan to her, and their lips met again, the contact fuller, this time.

She felt how Ruby tensed for a second, before pressing closer, a hot breath against her mouth as the kiss deepened, and she slipped her fingers through Ruby’s dark, wild hair, feeling them soft against her skin. She couldn’t even tell just how _long_ and how _much_ she had wanted to do this.

One of Ruby’s hands went to her waist and gently held her, her fingers pressing firmly as the lycan held her weight on her other arm, shifting on top of her to press closer, their bodies flush together and with this closeness she could feel Ruby’s heart pounding against her chest, and a soft moan left her lips, the next kiss muffling it.

When she heard Ruby’s responding gasp against her mouth, she felt a strange sort of warmth rushing through her, pooling in her stomach and only increasing in warmth as the kiss went on, and, in the depths of her chest, her heart was definitely thumping against her ribcage, distantly echoing Ruby’s against her chest.

She was about to grasp the young woman’s back when, disturbing the peacefulness of their surroundings, a shadow passed over them, keeping the moon’s light from them for just a second, and she blinked her eyes open just as she heard, distinctly in the silence of the night, a sound that made her breath catch in her throat.

It would have been inaudible to a human, but with her sharp hearing, she heard it. The quiet flutter of wings.

Rudely pushing Ruby off her and sending the young woman to roll over with a yelp, she climbed to her feet, standing on shaking legs as she watched the sky, cursing under her breath just as she caught the scent.

“Ruby,” she quietly panted, entirely focused on searching their surroundings. “Run.”

The lycan, suddenly brought back to reality, jumped to her feet too, but instead of going away she stepped closer, her stance lowered and on guard as her eyes, too, were searching the night’s sky.

“What is it?” Ruby whispered to her, backing into her.

“Run!” She hissed, urgency flashing bright warning lights in her mind, fear running wild and thrumming in her veins. “It’s Father!”

And just as Ruby turned to her, her eyes wide with panic, she heard some kind of _woosh_ just as a shadow passed right in front of her, and with it, caught Ruby.

Panic made her freeze as the pained scream of the lycan pierced her ears and made her heart bleed, and she stared as her father stopped a couple of paces away, his wings flapping angrily as he touched ground.

And she could see his long, sharp claws, sunk deep in Ruby’s body, blood dripping from them.

“When I first noticed this scent on you, I just couldn’t believe it,” her father was saying seemingly calmly, his eyes regarding a squirming Ruby with nothing but disdain.

“Father, please,” was the only thing she managed in a weak, pleading whisper, feeling her knees just on the edge of giving in as her eyes couldn’t leave the brunette’s form.

“Then I had to reason with myself. ‘Perhaps she killed one. Perhaps she fought with one.’”

“Father,” she insisted, finally ripping her gaze from the lycan as her eyes kept going back and forth between Ruby and her father, and she tried to take a step closer, meeting Ruby’s panicked silver eyes as they were opened wide, the lycan panting as she struggled against the iron-grip of her father’s. “Please, I’m begging you, let her go! I will do anything you say, just let her go!”

“But no,” her father hissed, ignoring her, and his clawed hand closed around Ruby’s face and muffling the indignant yelp as it did, Ruby’s head appearing so little in this form. “Of course not. You keep proving you are a disgrace to this family, time and time again, but I am a forgiving man. But this?”

When he turned to her, it was rage in his eyes, in its purest form. Visceral, burning, all-consuming rage, and his eyes bore into her as he bared his fangs, hate flowing freely from him.

“This is unforgivable.”

Before she could think about it, her mind closing in on itself on one single thought, she moved, jumping forward just as her father’s arm reeled back and prepared for one, final blow directed at Ruby. But instead, she grabbed his arm, and pulled with all her strength.

Protect Ruby.

Growling in anger as it made him stumble, off balance, he dropped Ruby on the ground as the young woman groaned in pain, but quickly stood and limped away, towards the woods, turning into her beast form to cover more ground. But as she did, her father turned to her, narrowing his stormy blue eyes.

He slapped her with the back of his hand, and she was sent tumbling over, several paces away.

It made Ruby stop in her escape as the lycan looked back, her ears flopping back and baring her fangs in a low, menacing growl. But her father turned to Ruby instead, snarling, and stretched his wings, about to pounce. Once again moving before she could even think about it, she was back on her feet, turned into her vampire form, and just before her father took flight slashed her claws at his skin-thin wing.

Protect Ruby, at all cost.

He yowled in pain, turning to her again, and even though he was taller, larger and stronger than her, she was quicker and agile, and she dodged the next hit before slashing his side, blood flowing instantly.

“Run!” She yelled again, turning for a second to Ruby.

Stock still in place, the lycan let out a quiet whimper, one that probably would have been a weak ‘but…’ if she could speak, but before she could insist, her father grabbed her by the arm and, with all the strength he had, lifted her off the ground before slamming her back down, the ground giving in under her.

She felt her ribs crack painfully, some part of her left wing burning as she cried out in pain, and for a moment she stayed there, dizzy, the world spinning around her.

What are you doing? A voice that sounded strangely like Winter’s in the back of her mind chastised her. You have to protect Ruby. Get up, she needs you.

It was the sharp, high-pitched yelp that brought her attention back on present, and she blearily blinked her eyes and looked over just in time to see her father slashing Ruby’s back, as the lycan was trying to defend herself with a roar.

Something in her chest painfully twisted, urgency pumping adrenaline in her bloodstream and with a groan, she got back to her feet, her breaths coming out short and uneven, and broken wing be damned she flapped them with force, quickly crossing the distance, and before he could strike again, she jumped on his back, sinking claws and teeth in it.

As her father yowled in pain, snarling as he tried to catch her, she took a second to glance over where Ruby was, apparently not knowing if she had to run or stay and help.

“Run!” She ordered, and this time, she meant it.

As Ruby’s eyes turned to her and they locked, she focused on her, taking in a deep breath.

_Obey_

Immediately, Ruby’s pupils dilated widely as she turned tail and ran as fast as she could, and in a wink she had disappeared behind the treeline, out of sight.

To safety.

Reassured as she released the breath she didn’t know she was holding, she was brutally brought back to reality when her father finally caught her by the wing and pulled, roaring in pure anger, never minding the slashes it created because of her claws.

“Bad children needs to be grounded,” he snarled, and as she hit the ground hard on her front, the air leaking out of her lungs with the force of the blow, she felt him grab both her wings, and _pulled_.

The pain was searing and white-hot as she felt the appendage being ripped from her back. She didn’t hear the scream that came out when her wings gave out, her father’s inhuman strength far greater than the fragile wings at her back, and he tossed the bleeding parts aside like they were nothing. Pushing on her shoulder to turn her around as she wept, dizzy and numb from the pain, she didn’t have the strength to struggle and simply let it be as he towered over her, an ugly snarl twisting his features.

“You don’t deserve the gifts I have given you,” he was still hissing, leaning down. “So now, I will take them back.”

The last thing she saw was his clawed hand raised high in the air, and the malevolent glint in his stormy eyes as he brought his hand down, and she felt her flesh tear as two bright flash of pure agony spread on her face, rending her blind.

Still, amidst her panicked and pained whimpers, she heard her father take a couple of steps back, and as if he had just been settling a trifling matter, he sighed, not at all sounding like the personification of rage, anymore.

“I take no pleasure in doing this, Weiss. But I am very, very tired of your actions. I will give you the choice, however; you will either die of sun exposure, or, if your lycan shows its face again, you will need to feed. We both know who is going to die if you do.”

There was a pause then as he seemed to take a deep breath in, apparently still pondering the next thing he wanted to say, before releasing it slowly.

“If you feed on the dog and it dies, I will take you back. Remember, your place is with us, child.”

Then, she heard his wings flutter, flapping awkwardly as he minded his injured wing, and then… nothing. She was left like this, alone in the darkness, blind, her body beaten and broken, and just the thought of crying was hurting.

“F-father?” She still called, afraid of this darkness closing in on her, afraid to find out that, after all this time, she was left all alone in it.

But there was just the sound of the breeze gently blowing for only answer, and as time went on the sound of the night started again as she laid there, her entire being pulsating in agony.

She thought about crawling her way back to Ruby’s house. If she was directly under her bedroom’s window, she would have; she knew the way by heart now. But now, on a side of the castle she wasn’t used to go, in a different part of the forest after she hadn’t been very attentive as they had raced…

She would only get horribly lost. At least, she was in an open space, here, and she could feel the breeze on her face as the blood dried on her cheeks.

The panicked whimpers and pained whines slowly came to a stop as she just laid there, numb, and if she stayed still just like this and only focused on her breathing, she could almost forget that not an inch of her didn’t hurt.

She wondered if Ruby made it. All of her thoughts went to her, hoping she made it back home. She hadn’t seen the extent of her injuries, but she still ran, so she must have been fine for the most part.

As time passed, she returned to her original form, the pain in her back throbbing and paralysing her as each breath she took felt like she had shattered glass in her lungs, but a strange sense of peace settled over her, lulled by the sounds of the morning birds and crickets singing. She could feel the soft heat rising in the air, telling of dawn soon breaking.

She couldn’t remember when she started, but she realised that she was counting her breaths. Two hundred and fifty two. Two hundred and fifty three, fifty four, fifty five…

Another breeze blew, always gentle, caressing her bruised face like the distant touch of a loving mother, and she let out a trembling breath, wondering if her death would be a quick one. After all that happened, and lying here in constant pain, she _hoped_ that the sun’s touch would give her instant relief, making it painless and quick.

And yet, she couldn’t help the flicker of hope in the deepest part of her chest as, subtle and almost inaudible through the soft murmur of the tall grass around her, she heard in the distance a twig snapping.

Slightly turning her head to the noise, she shortly wondered if she should be angry that Ruby came back or relived that she did.

She tried sniffing the air, knowing that the wind was to her. But she found it strange, and utterly unnerving when there was no smell at all, just the scent of the grass and the trees and dried blood around her.

She felt panic rise again at the thought that it might have been wolves or coyotes. She knew she was in no shape to fight off a pack, drawn here by the scent of blood.

When a twig snapped again, much too close to her liking, she held back the whimper she wanted to let out, trying to crawl away and finding it was impossible when as soon as she moved, her mind blanked from the agonizing pain. This time, she couldn’t help the pained cry that passed her lips, as she tried to regulate her breathing, feeling one of the ribs pressing painfully against her lung.

Hearing a distant but soft and deep huff in response, she could hear, when she calmed down enough, some kind of footfalls coming closer, but once again she couldn’t smell anything. Fear seized her again, as she huffed bitterly.

If she was eaten by coyotes before dying from the sun, she would be _very_ mad.

“Is…” She tried, her voice coming out hoarse, but she tried again, hoping it would scare the animals away. “Is someone there?”

This time, the footfalls she could barely hear transformed into a heavy pattern, coming closer and fast, and it was only now that she recognise it; it wasn’t totally the same, but there was only one thing that sounded so heavy.

But the lack of scent kept her from confirming her guess, and she simply waited, tense and just a hair from screaming as loud as she could if it wasn’t who she thought it was.

As the noise was growing closer and slowed down, she heard a soft, plaintive whine that sounded very much like a dog’s, if the dog in question was as large as a carriage.

Relaxing as she knew the presence was friendly, she simply turned her head towards the noise, hearing the footfalls change from four to two, and a soft thud right beside her suggested that whoever it was, they had fallen to their knees by her side.

“Gods,” she heard who only could be Yang whisper, her voice trembling and visibly on the edge of tears. “What… What happened?”

“Ruby…” She tried weakly, her lips barely moving and pointedly ignoring the question.

She was just so tired.

“She’s fine,” Yang instantly assured, her voice tight. “She-she started healing on her way back, by the time she arrived she only had a few scratches, nothing serious. Blake is tending to her right now.”

She nodded, her entire being relaxing.

“Good,” she murmured. “That’s good.”

“I’m taking you back with me,” she heard Yang sniffling as something was laid out beside her, gently rustling. “Dawn’s breaking soon, so I’m going to wrap you in a curtain. It’s not the most comfortable thing, but at least you won’t burn-”

“No.”

Interrupting Yang as she lightly shook her head, it proved to be a bad idea when searing pain came from her back, burning her from within, and she whined, exhaling slowly.

“No, I… It hurts too much already, just leave me here.”

“No.”

“Yang-”

“No,” the blonde stubbornly repeated, and she could guess just from her voice that her eyes were welled up. “I am _not_ leaving you here. I promised Ruby I would bring you back, and I will. I’m not letting you die on my watch, not now, not _ever_!”

There was a pause as Yang unceremoniously sniffled, but she felt her hand, so very warm against her cold skin, lightly close around her arm, squeezing softly.

“Am I clear?”

“Yang…”

“Am I clear?” The blonde repeated again, adding more force to the words.

“Yang, you… you have to understand…” Talking was hard, with her broken ribs pressing against her lungs, it greatly reduced the amount of air she could take in, and that was without talking about the pain each breath caused her. “If you bring me back… I will need to feed…”

“So you will,” Yang simply said, returning to fumbling with the curtain by her side.

A flash of anger flared within her, hating that Ruby’s sister didn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation.

“No, I won’t,” she argued, never minding that her voice broke as she did. “I will need to feed… Regularly. I can’t go back to the castle, now…”

There was a pause as she tried to catch her breath, whimpering when her sides started lancing again, and she was about to insist when she felt something warm drape over her, and she felt hair against her face as she realised that Yang was, very lightly, embracing her as she heard the trembling breath of the blonde right in her ear.

“We’ll find a way, sweets,” Yang was murmuring, soothing and reassuring, and for a moment, she let herself believe. “Now I can’t leave you here, Ruby’s in a panic like I have never seen, I can’t… I can’t let her go through that again.”

She felt the embrace around her tightening, and when Yang spoke again, her voice was firmer, decided.

“Not again. I’m bringing you back, whether you like it or not.”

As she felt the blonde straightening her back after one last, careful, caress to her head, she heard her flap the curtain and felt the fabric being laid down on her, strangely soft for a curtain. But before she could stop herself, something about what Yang said bringing something else to mind, she found her voice again.

“What… What happened to… Penny?”

Her question surprising the blonde as she heard a distinctive pause before the rustling resumed, Yang tried her best to sound neutral, and failed miserably.

“Did Ruby talk about her?”

“No, I heard… you and Blake, one time…”

A sigh resonated in her ear as Yang was gently tucking a corner of the curtain under her shoulder, unable to keep her from grimacing in pain, but after a handful of seconds came an answer as Yang resumed, slower than earlier.

“She, ah… She died, in a bad way, trying to protect Ruby. Penny… She bled out in Ruby’s arms.”

The blonde worked in silence for a moment more, and she heard the quiet sigh she let out.

“She was a brave girl,” Yang softly let out. “A bit strange, but she meant well. I liked her.”

“So that’s why she was so… so worried about the burn, the other night…” She couldn’t help but wonder quietly.

“Yeah. And I can’t even tell you how she was when she crashed home, she was so panicked and she told me she wanted to come back but she couldn’t because you did something to her..?”

“I convinced her to run,” she panted. “It’s a long story.”

Humming, Yang delicately moved her, but pain still flared white-hot as soon as she did, but she was just so exhausted by now that she only whimpered, laying limp and boneless, wishing she could return to this numb peacefulness from earlier.

“Weiss,” Yang’s voice softly rose sometime after, when only her head wasn’t yet wrapped in the curtain. “Will you tell me what happened?”

For a moment she wanted to pretend that she didn’t hear, that she was unconscious. But she knew Yang only meant well, and she had a feeling that whatever was said here, would never leave this space. And so, she relented.

“I… We kissed,” she finally said, feeling the corner of her lips twitch.

She heard the responding soft laugh Yang let out, felt the soft squeeze to her shoulder.

“Finally!” The blonde gently teased.

“But…” She continued, and she knew Yang returned to her seriousness, somber. “Father saw us…”

“Oh…”

“Please, don’t… Don’t say anything. I knew the risks ever since day one, just… don’t say anything.”

A long silence followed and she could almost figure how Yang was staring angrily just by the sudden tenseness of her hands, of how she held her arms rigidly, but she did as asked, and didn’t say anything.

Well, almost.

“So I take it he wasn’t happy for you.”

She was amazed that she could still laugh, in her state. Granted, it was weak and bitter, but she still laughed, panting and complaining when her ribs screamed in pain.

“Too soon?” She heard Yang ask.

“That’s the understatement of… the century,” she finally let out in short pants, the echo of laughter still making her entire being tremble. “Gods, don’t make me laugh, it- It already hurts as it is…”

But she didn’t make an effort to make it clear for what it was applied to, and Yang didn’t seem too concerned to find out, too.

Still, when she calmed down, she felt a gentle press against her forehead, finding out far too late that Yang just had kissed her forehead lightly before she felt the soft fabric of the curtain against her face, loose around her head.

But as she breathed, there was suddenly… something, in the air she breathed. A strange scent, subtle, that filled her nose and rendering her mind a dizzy mess, and sooner than she expected, she tumbled into darkness, slipping into unconsciousness seamlessly.

****

When she woke up, it was in a world of pain as panicked whimpers filled her ears, distant but awfully familiar.

“Ruby, slow down,” she heard the calm and smooth, but strangely firm voice of Blake, lost in the haze of her drowsiness. “We don’t want to hurt her more than she already is.”

“But-” She heard Ruby’s tight, high-pitched voice, but Yang’s voice sounded closer as she vaguely realised she was being carried around.

“Ruby, let me at least set her down.”

Hearing the three women shuffling around her, she heard a door creaking and, soon, she felt being laid down on something soft, recognising Ruby’s scent even through the thick curtain.

“Is she okay?” Ruby’s strangled voice came again, distant, and judging by the soft shushing she guessed that Blake was with her, staring from the door.

“She’s… alive,” came Yang’s vague answer.

She felt the blonde’s hands gently unwrapping the curtain from around her and, as she was about her shoulders, the gentle pulls slowed, growing hesitant, now.

“It’s not pretty,” the blonde quietly warned, before finally, she was freed from the curtain.

Instantly she heard the horrified gasp coming from the door in echo, and heard the quiet approach of footsteps, and she discreetly sniffed the air.

She was glad to finally smell something, or someone. Ruby was by her side, and the brunette gently took her hand in both of hers, and she could feel how trembling they were.

Ruby sniffled a bit, and her voice was trembling and wet. “Weiss?”

She turned her head towards the voice, just a bit, avoiding to hurt herself in the way, and the lycan sighed in relief, gently bringing her hand up and, judging by the sudden warmth against the back of her hand, pressed it against her cheek.

“Hang in there, Weiss,” Ruby murmured, already sounding more assured. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Somehow I doubt it, but… Thanks,” she whispered in a huff.

One last caress to her hair told of Yang’s departure as she heard the blonde’s footfalls slowly leaving the room, and she heard the blonde and Blake talking under their breaths, their words incomprehensible as she heard Ruby sniffle beside her, the brunette’s hands tightening around hers.

“Y-you left a couple of vials here in the fridge,” the lycan seemed to remember suddenly, her voice tight and hurried. “I’ll get them for you.”

“It won’t be enough,” she murmured as she squeezed Ruby’s hand just as the brunette was moving to leave, holding her back. “There’s three, maybe four vials. It won’t be enough to heal, Ruby.”

She was glad when she felt the young woman pause, instead of her sister realising what it meant.

But after a long silence, she felt the lycan exhale shortly, her fingers trembling against he hands.

“We’ll find a way,” the brunette merely said, an echo of her sister, as Ruby carefully returned her hand on the mattress and stood.

But as Ruby’s scent retreated, another one took its place as she heard someone silently sitting beside the bed, a soft sigh leaving them.

Even after all this time, she still couldn’t quite put a finger on a good description for Blake’s scent. It was… strange, breezy but smoky, like the smell of coal it filled her nose almost to the point of choking without really doing so. And yet, her scent was mixed with something fresh, like… herbs, of some kind. Like flowers, lazily swaying in the breeze under the morning’s sun, just after morning dew.

She couldn’t put a finger on an easy description, but it was Blake’s scent. One she had grown to appreciate, over time, and she turned her head a bit towards her, knowing that the witch was staring at her, silent.

“I put a sleeping spell on the curtain,” Blake finally let out, quiet, almost fearing she would be surprised by it. “I figured it would be easier for both of you if you were unconscious for the transportation. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t. Thank you.”

She heard the soft hum the faunus let out, and heard her shift closer, close enough that she could feel her breath distantly against her arm.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Blake started, and she felt herself bristling, which the faunus seemed to notice. “My healing spells only works on the living, I don’t… I don’t know if it will do you good or will worsen things…”

Unable to hold it back even though she knew it would hurt, she snorted, grimacing right after it.

“I’m surprised you didn’t jump at the occasion to hurt me ‘without meaning to’, Blake. I’m touched,” she murmured, finding that if she talked this way, it didn’t hurt as much.

But her words were accompanied by a deafening silence from her side, and she could almost guess how the witch was regarding her with sadness, the air around the witch changing swiftly.

“I wouldn’t wish what you went through to my worst enemy, Weiss,” the faunus slowly said, and it made her grimace slightly, her words ringing knowingly as she could guess what the next words would be. “Ruby told me it was your father that attacked you.”

This time, it was her turn to simply hum, the sound quiet as she turned her head away from Blake, but her attention was brought back on the faunus when she felt, hesitant, her hand lightly resting on top of hers, warm and soft against her skin.

“Ruby told me how you didn’t hesitate to put your life on the line to protect her,” Blake softly continued. “Consequences be damned. For that, I change what I said about you. You’re an okay vampire in my book.”

“Just an ‘okay’ vampire?” She couldn’t help but huff, a corner of her lips twitching up. “What do I have to do to be a great vampire?”

“Pull through and make Ruby happy, and you’ll be a great one.”

It made her sigh the short amount of air she had in her lungs as she let a beat pass, or two. As she could hear Ruby talking with Yang in the other room, hear the clinking of the vials being hoarded, she knew the sisters would be back soon.

“We both know it won’t happen,” she murmured, somehow wishing that Blake was more reasonable than both sisters.

And the silence following this seemed to agree with her wish, as the faunus didn’t offer any kind of reassurance, but the hand against hers slowly curled around hers, squeezing once, shortly.

“Small favor?” She asked, turning her head once again towards Blake as she knew the witch was listening. “Help me convince them to take me outside.”

But the witch stayed silent again, and she could almost guess the way Blake pinched her lips, silently reproving.

“If we find a way to heal you,” the witch slowly started, sounding much more careful now. “I _might_ have a spell that could work for you.”

Frowning and groaning in pain as soon as she did, she still turned her attention towards Blake, who’s hand felt strangely tense against hers.

“You said there was no cure,” she remembered, and her voice came out a lot harder than she intended.

But Blake didn’t seem to mind much, as she heard her shift.

“It’s not a cure,” the witch assured. “But… it might be something you could be interested in.”

“Then what is it?”

But before Blake could answer, the sisters came back in the room, and the faunus’ hand on top of hers left, slipping away as there was a commotion it seemed in front of her.

****

She had told Ruby, and she had known the handful of vials she had forgotten at Ruby’s place wouldn’t be enough. And, without surprise, the vials were just enough to straighten her ribs and just about start healing the throbbing in her back, but not much else.

The amount of blood in the vials was only the strict minimum, because when it was cold the blood would be denser, sticky, almost like molasses, and would feel awkward in her mouth. So she only kept the minimum, because she hated drinking it cold.

So she could breathe easier, and she could move a bit much, but she was still blind and she was told by Ruby that the bruises on her body still weren’t gone, nor the dark purple splotches on each shoulder blades. She didn’t have to change form to know, that her wings didn’t grow back with so few blood.

And here they were, all gathered in Ruby’s room, the three other women half-heartedly offering solutions as they already knew it wouldn’t work, and she was only listening to them with one ear because she could feel, in the depth of her stomach, an itch, a need that kept growing as the hours passed by.

Her father had been right, not that she really doubted his words. She needed to heal. She needed to feed.

And she knew that if she just kept ignoring it, it would only grow, until it was unbearable, until _she_ was uncontrollable, just like that morning, right here with Ruby…

But this time, she won’t be able to stop herself. That, she knew for a fact.

How she didn’t want to come to that.

“Just take me outside,” she said, loud enough to be heard by the other women in the room and interrupting what was being said.

“What? No,” Ruby was the first to speak. “The sun’s out, you can’t go outside.”

“Take me outside,” she repeated, setting her jaw stubbornly.

A silence settled in the room, heavy with consequences, and she took a deep breath in, serene with her decision.

“Please, take me outside,” she insisted, softer, this time. “I feel the need to feed growing, and I’m asking now because I’m still lucid, but I don’t know how long it will last. I don’t want to hurt you, any of you, so please…”

She sighed, releasing the last of her anxiety with it, the last of her stress and fear, as the same peacefulness as earlier, when she was alone in the field settled over her.

“Just take me outside. There is no other viable option.”

“Or, you could bite me.”

She was utterly surprised when _Ruby_, of all people, spoke, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stay level-headed, just the thought of what the brunette was proposing sending her mind scrambling.

“What are you saying,” she hissed, unable to hold it back. “You _know_ I can’t-”

“You can,” the brunette interrupted her, her voice sounding so very assured as she stepped closer, far too close for her own safety. “I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t,” she growled back, feeling her fangs already growing. “You really shouldn’t put faith in me, Ruby, you will only end up disappointed, and dead.”

“Um, Ruby?” Yang’s voice sounded, hesitant. “Maybe you should listen to her? I mean, doesn’t really sound like a good idea, from Weiss’ side…”

“And it’s not,” she insisted, wriggling on the bed and cursing under her breath at the pain it provoked so she turned her back to them, hopefully staying her fraying mind from narrowing on the thought of Ruby’s warm, thrumming neck under her lips and her fangs plunging into- “You should step back.”

“Woah,” she heard the brunette’s quiet exclamation behind her, and in synch heard the quiet grunt and huff Yang and Blake made. “What was that?”

“That,” Blake started, shifting. “Is Weiss trying to compel us.”

“I didn’t mean to!” She hurriedly let out, cursing her fangs that made talking that much harder and awkward. “Wait, what do you mean, ‘trying’?”

“I figured it would happen, so I made us wore an amulet that would protect us against it.”

“…You’re awfully prepared, Blake.”

“I’ve wore mine ever since Ruby told us she met a vampire.”

A beat of silence passed in the room.

“Ouch,” Yang only commented, accurately expressing what she currently couldn’t.

“Look,” Ruby’s voice, firm and decided, brought them back to the matter at hand. “Just take what you need, and then-”

“Didn’t you hear when I _explicitly_ told you I _can’t let go_?” She barked back, annoyed and angry and hurt that Ruby would be the one proposing such a thing. It wasn’t an option, never was, and yet, right now she had to sink her fingers in the mattress and press her forehead hardly against the wall in front of her to keep steady, to not pounce on the brunette. “Yang, take her away. And close the door. Lock it.”

“I’m not going to let you die, Weiss!”

There was another round of grunts and groans as she curled into a tighter ball on the bed, gritting her teeth to the point of shattering as her thoughts made less and less sense, and distantly, she heard Yang’s voice sounding in the room, wary.

“I’m really not sure you should insist this much, Rubes, I mean… Weiss made herself pretty clear…”

“And I made myself clear too! I’m not taking her outside!”

“Yeah, but-”

“Ruby,” she hissed out, trembling as she couldn’t believe the _gal_ of this woman as the lycan sat on the edge of the bed, right beside her. “_Get out_. If you make me do this, I won’t forgive you.”

There was a pause there, for once her words seemingly having some weight to the brunette, but the moment passed with the feel of Ruby’s hand lightly setting on her hip, apparently about to turn her around.

“And I will never forgive myself if I let you die, Weiss. I know you can do this. I believe in you.”

But she was so close, and Ruby’s scent, that usually always put her mind at ease, now filled her nose and seemed to scramble it even more, blurring the lines of what should and shouldn’t be as she was vaguely aware of an argument that had started between Ruby and Blake.

“… Can help her! I _can_ save her, I’m not letting someone else die without trying!”

“But _you_ could die too! We heard when she said she couldn’t let go!”

“Then I die! Hopefully I’ll join Mom and Penny and-”

“Okay, I’m stopping this right there,” Yang interrupted, her voice leaving no room for debate. “Let’s go, Ruby.”

But as she expected, in her dizzy mind, that the brunette’s soft warmth would leave her side and finally this scent would clear from her head, she was utterly shook when instead, a pair of hands firmly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up in a sitting position, and against her, she felt Ruby’s body pressed against her, could feel her breath against her ear as she could hear, even though her hyper mind, the rush of blood in Ruby’s veins.

“Bite me!” Ruby practically yelled in her ear, a pair of surprised and irritated shouts sounding behind her.

And she obeyed. Unable to resist anymore, she let her fangs tear the soft flesh of Ruby’s neck, and she was vaguely aware of the wince the brunette let out at that, and the first swallow of warm blood through her system felt like… like…

She remembered seeing a boat that came from Mistral, once. It held some kind of powder, that the men aboard the ship used to create large and beautiful explosions of various color in the sky, only for entertainment. She remembered her father telling her that these, were called fireworks.

In her head right now, every thought exploded in just the same way, distantly hearing some kind of commotion behind her but she simply tightened her hold around the body against her, warmth rushing through every inch of her being as she felt like she was being set on fire, but in a good way.

Oh, such a good way.

She could feel all the aches and pain across her body subdue rather quickly, and at some point she fluttered her eyes open, even though her vision was blurry. Everything was just masses of shadows and light, everything blending together even though she could see someone pacing back and forth restlessly.

She could hear voices around her, but didn’t care much to listen except for the heart beating seemingly right in her ears, an echo of it in the depths of her chest knocking against her ribs, until, she knew, she was healed.

Healed, and well-fed, knowing that she had her fill for at least three days.

And she also knew that she should stop, some voice in the far, far back of her mind reminding her it was important that she let go, but right now, lost in this haze, she wasn’t sure why it was so important.

But the voice was pressing, kept coming again and again, urging her to let go, but… but she felt so good, why would she even let go for?

For something? Someone? What? Who? She didn’t know, and didn’t bother thinking farther than that.

Suddenly, a hand touched her back, lightly rubbing it, and it was so very familiar that, for a moment, she was brought back to reality, faintly hearing a voice right in her ear.

“Hey, I think… I think you’ve had enough, right? I don’t… I don’t feel so good…”

Something in the way the voice was weak in her ear shook her to her core, made the heart in her chest ache as the same voice as earlier came back, again and again, screaming now to get her attention.

But that voice, it felt important, that _person_, she remembered meant dearly to her, but… It was just so… confusing.

She felt like this mystery would clear itself if she could just… let go. Like the voice kept repeating, again and again.

All she had to do, was to let go. That’s all she had to do.

Let go.

_Obey_

The world around her tumbled over and crashed down hardly, but her mind cleared slowly as the voices around her came to her ears, the cotton that had filled them leaving and the words finally making sense to her, as she laid sprawled on a hard and cool surface.

“…you okay? Ruby?”

“Open your eyes! Say something!”

“… ‘m fine, guys, stop yelling…”

The first two voices sighed in relief in synch as she suddenly recognised the third, snapping her eyes wide open as she sat bolt upright on the floor, her eyes finding Ruby in a second and drilling into her tired form as the name came back to her, burning on the front of her mind.

“Ruby!” She practically shouted, her mind going in a frenzy as terror froze her entire being.

The brunette, sitting back and slouched against the wall on the bed, stared back at her before offering a small, but satisfied smile, one that she returned as she felt her entire body relax, flopping back in her previous position as she could almost feel her limbs turn to jelly, the earlier warm, comfortable haze coming back to envelop her. Now that she knew Ruby was safe, she let it take her, uncaring of her surroundings, for now.

Some time passed that she wasn’t aware of, her mind drifting from one thought to the other, until she felt a presence close to her, earning her attention as she lolled her head to the side, smiling when her eyes landed on Ruby’s silver ones.

The lycan already looked better than she did earlier, color coming back to her cheeks, and she reached out with both hands, gently cupping Ruby’s face.

“Are you alright, my love?” She asked, her voice sounding sweeter than she thought in this comfortable haze.

“I’m oka- W-w-w-what did you call me?” Ruby stuttered, her voice quickly climbing in the high notes as the brunettes’ cheeks were definitely redder than a second ago.

It made her laugh softly, and she could almost see the warmth pooling in her chest before slowly, separating in two and traveling up her arms all the way to Ruby as she lightly thumbed the lycan’s cheek, vaguely registering the two other presence around them.

“I have known since the day you convinced me to stay, Ruby,” she softly murmured, and in this haze, everything looked perfect. It didn’t bother that Ruby looked a bit paler than usual, right now, she had never seen her so pretty, every little details seemingly asking to be noticed, and she loved every one of them. “I just only recently realised it.”

As Ruby’s face took the same shade as her namesake, her vision was suddenly obscured by very curious, and very close lilac eyes, blond eyebrows drawn close.

“Are you really alright on the floor?” Yang asked, interrupting the moment but she didn’t care much as she simply frowned, confused, and lolled her head to the side to look down.

“I’m on the floor?”

“Yeah. Had been for the past two hours, actually.”

“Hm. It’s a comfortable floor,” she only said, her hands leaving Ruby’s face to fall to the floor on her sides, feeling it for a moment.

Then, as Yang made a face, she could see in a corner of her vision one tufted ear flicking on top of dark hair, a pair of golden eye staring at her almost with concern, but her mind narrowed on the soft-looking ear, and she reached for it, Blake dryly smacking her hand away.

“Your ears are very cute,” she said instead, blinking slowly and, she was sure, not at the same time.

Again, both lilac and golden eyes stared at her, dubious.

“Are you…” Blake started, before hesitating, seemingly trying to find the best way to say what she wanted.

“High?” Yang, apparently, didn’t have any problem with the word. “Your pupils are, like, super big.”

It made her smile dumbly as she snorted, ridiculously happy right now, everything that had happened in the past hours, days, weeks, years; gone, for now.

Right now, she was feeling good, and warm, and her favorite person in the whole wide world was right here with her. It was all that mattered, at the moment.

“Yes.”

“Geez,” she heard Yang mumbling after a beat. “I want whatever she’s having.”

“I’m… sure you don’t,” came Blake’s voice.

“I, uh, I was about to go take a nap,” Ruby’s voice wormed its way to her ears, and she turned her foggy attention to the young woman, smiling happily at her.

“Hi,” she greeted, feeling like it had been awhile since she last saw her.

“Hi,” the brunette smiled, never minding the snort Yang let out beside her. “Do you wanna take a nap with me?”

It made her gasp, the idea sounding so _delightful_ at the moment that she brought her hands to her chest, holding them over her heart.

“With you?” She asked, hopeful. “Can I really?”

“If you want to, sure!”

Not bothering with proper words and instead moving closer and all but climbed up Ruby’s form, looping her arms around the brunette’s neck and leaning her head on her shoulder, she sighed, content, closing her eyes and was ready to sleep.

She was vaguely aware that she was being carried a really short distance, and only now did she realise she had still been on the floor, until Ruby set her down on the mattress, and she sank in it, releasing an impressed hum at its softness.

“Oh, this is good,” she kept saying under her breath as she let hands push her to the far space on the bed, against the wall. “This is really good. This is a good mattress, Ruby.”

“I know,” the lycan quietly muttered, sounding embarrassed, as she quickly took place beside her, her warmth already seeping all the way to her. “Just get some rest, Weiss.”

Lazily blinking, she was barely aware of Yang, very obviously winking at her before closing the door of the room, and it made her blink again as she lolled her head to the side to stare at Ruby, who wore a _scowl_ on her features.

“You need to get some rest too, Ruby,” she said, hoping it was in a hushed tone.

“That’s what I’m trying to do. Sleep, now.”

“Okay.”

She settled back against the pillow, marveling at the feel of it as she distantly heard Ruby sighing beside her, before slowly letting the haze envelop her for good and drag her to sleep, but just as she was on the verge of it, she didn’t bother opening her eyes to make sure Ruby was still asleep.

“Don’t think I’m not angry at you even if I don’t look the part, Ruby.”

For a moment, there was only silence, and she felt her mind slowly drift, brought back only for a moment when she heard Ruby sigh quietly beside her, shifting a bit.

“I know,” the brunette simply murmured. “Get some rest. We’ll talk later.”

And she once again tumbled into darkness, this time floating on a comfortable cloud all the while.

****

She was sure Ruby expected a bit of yelling, maybe a pout or two for a definition of ‘being angry at’.

She sure didn’t expect her downright fury and outrage as she kept pacing back and forth in the small space of Ruby’s bedroom restlessly, the brunette sitting on the edge of the bed, her shoulders drooped and her head hung low as Ruby let her shout and yell as she pleased.

“What did you not understand, Ruby?” She was still fuming, spinning on her heels to angrily pace towards the door. “I could have killed you!”

“But you didn’t,” Ruby weakly reminded.

Glaring at her, Ruby hung her head even lower, if it was even possible.

“But I could!” She barked back, anger pooling in the pit of her stomach. “I _told_ you, time and time again, and I really thought that you understood-”

“But you did stop, Weiss! I don’t know what the problem is-”

“The problem is that even if I stopped _once_ doesn’t mean I will stop _every other time_!”

“But I knew you could do this! I trusted you!”

“And _I_ trusted you!”

There was an audible hitch as she stopped her restless pacing, staring at the floor as her vision blurred, her eyes welling with angry tears as she gritted her teeth, curling her hands in tight fists as she noticed, in the corner of her eye, Ruby looking up at her.

She wetted her lips as she let out a trembling breath, her fists held so tightly that it created an ache between her shoulder blades.

“Whenever I… do this, there’s this minuscule part of my mind that is… aware,” she breathed, unable to speak louder, but she knew Ruby could hear. “And I’m just… witnessing the scene. And I was left a witness as I thought… As I thought I was killing you, Ruby. And whenever I’m that witness, I’m powerless, helpless.”

She paused, if only to run a trembling hand in her hair and gather her thoughts, for they had scattered when she thought back to that terrifying moment.

“I was watching myself kill you, and I _knew_ that no matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do,” she pursued, rising burning, wet eyes at Ruby. “Do you even know how it feels?”

But the young woman stayed silent, her silver eyes lowering to the floor guiltily.

“_That_ is what you did. _That_, is the problem.”

Ruby’s shoulders drooped a bit more, and suddenly, she couldn’t stand it anymore. She couldn’t stand to see her looking so sad and guilty, to see her say nothing, even though she knew she wouldn’t stand for anything she could say right now.

“I just… I can’t even look at you right now,” she blurted out as she made her way out the room, throwing the door open.

She felt a strange ache in her chest when Ruby didn’t even move from her spot on the bed, and she stumbled in the kitchen, blinking the tears away to clear her vision as Yang and Blake were sitting at the table, the blonde awkwardly sipping endlessly from her cup while Blake seemed engrossed in a magazine that had been left on the table for months.

“What?” She barked at them, not really knowing why except to try and relieve some of the anger she held, because both of them had all but ignored her appearance.

Blake barely shrugged her shoulder, not even bothering looking up from the magazine as she lazily flipped a page, while Yang had the grace to set her cup down, clearing her voice quietly.

“Nothing,” the blonde merely said, before waving her empty cup a bit. “Just enjoying some good ol’ coffee.”

Narrowing her eyes at them, she merely huffed in annoyance as she passed the table, and she was glad it was nighttime by now because she thought she would have burst out of her skin if she had to stay inside.

Letting the door slam behind her, she felt a sliver of satisfaction when she heard how it shook in the doorframe, but it was passing.

Barely five steps away from the house, and she changed form, stretching her new wings, that had grown back during her sleep, and she took flight furiously, sending fallen leaves flying everywhere.

She vaguely remembered what she did, besides flying at top speed and screaming at the top of her lungs, lost in the middle of the forest. She knew nobody would see her if she broke down right here, nobody would see just how terrified she had been.

Hours passed. The low, heavy clouds that up until now only had been menacing had now started releasing its charge, and she was glad for the rain, the cold drops somehow cooling her anger, settling her thoughts and ultimately, calmed her down.

She was curled up under a leafless tree, her wings closed around her as she held her knees against her chest, wondering how she could ever go back. She wasn’t allowed in the castle anymore, and now, with the way she left Ruby’s home…

Besides, it was only a matter of time before she would need to feed again. Now that will be another story.

At some point, amidst the downpour, she recognised a scent when it was far too late to leave, the rain blurring every scent with mud and tree sap, and so she only looked up when Ruby appeared between the trees, her ears hung low, and her wet fur making her look even more pitiful than usual.

The lycan seemingly hesitated to come closer upon seeing her, but she still did, sitting, too, under the tree but with a bit of distance between them, and for a long moment they stayed like this, letting the rain pour down on them.

Then, Ruby changed form, appearing so small suddenly as she shivered a bit under the cold rain.

“I’m really sorry, Weiss,” the brunette said, louder than usual because of the noise the downpour created. “I… I never meant to hurt you, in any way, I just…”

Sending a glance to the lycan, she saw Ruby staring at her hands, curled up on her lap, as her wet hair was slick against her head, but the brunette didn’t seem to be really bothered by it.

“I made a mistake,” Ruby finally let out, sounding assured. “And I’m sorry for that.”

Then a silence settled back on them, as Ruby just sat there, never minding the rain that dripped from her chin and nose.

Returning her attention in front of her, she still extended one of her wings over the brunette, shielding her from the downpour as it pattered against the skin of her wing, the sound soothing. The brunette took a moment to realise it, though; at some point, Ruby held out her hand and didn’t feel any cold drop falling on it, even though she could see, paces in front of her, how the leaves and bushes were battered by it.

And so, her silver eyes went up, only to notice her wing. Then, her eyes slowly traveled back to her, and Ruby stared at her, hope filling her eyes, and it only made her curl in a tighter ball, bristling.

“Of course I still care, Ruby,” she muttered, not missing the way the brunette seemed to deflate at that. “I am angry at you _because_ I care about you.”

“And I care about you too, Weiss.”

“It still didn’t give you the right to-”

“I know,” the brunette interrupted with a sigh. “I know, but… I _could_ help you. I could save you. So… I did.”

Opening her mouth and about to argue, stubborn, Ruby spoke again before she could, a sad smile on her lips as her silver eyes were cast down on the muddy ground.

“I thought I was cursed, you know?”

Utterly surprised, she simply stared back, offering more silence as the lycan let out a weary sigh, shifting on her seat and brushing back a couple of wet locks.

“Blake assured me I wasn’t, I mean… She can feel it, or so she says,” the brunette chuckled humorlessly. “It’s just… the people I love around me… dies. My mom, she… she simply went out to scout ahead, because I told her I saw something strange and I was scared. I was just a kid, I mean, everything scared me,” Ruby rolled her eyes, pulling and ripping on the tall, wet grass beside her. “She just wanted to prove to me there was nothing to be scared of. But she… never came back. Uncle Qrow said some kind of animal ambushed her, and…”

Shrugging a single shoulder, Ruby ripped another handful of grass, her lips pinched tightly as her dark brows were furrowed, and she chose to stay silent, not really knowing what to say.

“Everyone kept saying it wasn’t my fault, but if I had been a bit braver, if I hadn’t complained, then she wouldn’t have died.”

“You don’t know that,” she tried, softly, her heart aching for her.

“Neither do you,” Ruby retorted back, dryly, but it wasn’t accusing or angry. She just stated a fact.

Clacking her mouth shut, she simply stared at the brunette as the silence stretched again, the soothing pattering of the rain on her wing doing nothing on the tense energy emanating from Ruby, who was still ripping handful of grass, one after the other.

“Then, I met Penny,” the ripping continued, only growing aggressive. “She was the best thing in my life ever since Mom died. I decided I was fearless, because I was strong now, I didn’t need anyone to scout ahead even though I was scared-”

Stopping abruptly, Ruby released a tight sigh between gritted teeth, her hand, that was tightly clasped around long blades of grass, slowly uncurled, shaking, letting the crumpled blades fall to the ground.

“She was a shapeshifter, you know?” The brunette’s voice was quiet, now. Soft, and trembling, and she sniffled, the memory opening back old wounds, and the only thing she did was stare, her mouth shut, and let Ruby finish her story. “She could have taken any form when the hunters showed up. She could have turned in a bear, or a bird, hell, a tiger, anything that would have drowned out suspicion, but… no.”

A single sniff again, followed by a scoff.

“No. She had to shift into a lycan. She wanted to draw the hunters away from me, and… She was just so fast, but they were so many, and she only tried to escape, but when she did, they… They let her bleed. They didn’t even try to chase her, they just knew she was too wounded to survive.”

“When I found her, she was so weak, on death’s doorstep already,” the lycan continued, her stare empty as her gaze bored holes in the tree in front of them. “We were too far away from help, I couldn’t get her help in time. If I left and ran, she would have died long before I reached the town, so… I stayed with her. And I watched her die, because there was nothing I could do.”

There was a pause then, as the brunette simply took a couple of breaths in, seemingly trying to calm down, until a bitter, humorless chuckle left her lips, a sad smile pulling them.

“Then it was Dad, shutting down because I made us leave… I mean, he’s not dead, but he’s not there at all,” Ruby said, softly, her silver eyes lowering to her hands on her lap. “And now, you. Protecting me from your own dad, and you-”

Her voice breaking at that, Ruby took in a trembling breath, but still kept her eyes to the ground, her hands curling on her lap once again.

“And you _expect_ me to let you die?” The brunette continued, her voice so weak and trembling, but holding such stubbornness it almost made her smile, had it been another situation. “I understand why you’re angry at me, I swear. It’s true that I shouldn’t have taken that right from you. But I literally couldn’t have cared less about me dying in the process. I would have at least saved someone, for a fucking change.”

Feeling her eyebrows rise at the words, she still stayed silent, staring at Ruby as the brunette discreetly rubbed her eyes, before wiping her entire face from the rain that had poured down on her earlier. Then, taking a deep breath in, she silently reached over and wrapped an arm around the lycan’s waist, and gently pulled her closer, holding her close.

“I’m glad I didn’t kill you,” she blurted out after a moment, staring out in front of her.

It managed to make Ruby laugh, although it sounded rough and a bit hoarse.

“I’m glad you didn’t, too.”

“I think… I think I compelled myself to let go.”

“Really?” The brunette’s features scrunched up, worried. “That’s weird… That’s weird, right?”

“Very. I’ve never heard of a vampire compelling themselves.”

As the lycan hummed softly, apparently glad for the change of subject, she was suddenly struck with the realisation that… Ruby found her. In the immensity of the forest, with the rain pouring down on them and rending all attempts to rely on the sense of smell useless, she couldn’t quite believe that Ruby found her by sheer, dumb luck.

“How did you find me?” She asked, cautious.

“I don’t know,” Ruby shrugged a single shoulder. “I just kinda… knew where you were.”

“Oh no,” she gasped, widening her eyes in horror as she jumped to her feet, sending Ruby rolling over in the mud. “I made you a thrall!”

“A what?”

“Ruby,” she stared down at the lycan, dread weighting down her shoulders and pressing on her chest. “Sit down.”

“…I’m already sitting?”

“Fine, stand up!”

“Oka-”

“No, not okay!” She interrupted, gritting her teeth in annoyance. “Just… Jump!”

Ruby made a face, still on the ground as her silver eyes kept eying her from head to toe, concern visible in her eyes.

“…Why?”

“Oh thank the Gods,” she sighed in relief, falling to her knees as she changed form, her wings now absent and not shielding them from the rain, anymore. “You’re not a thrall.”

“What if I’m one? What’s the big deal with a thrall?” Ruby asked, curious.

“A thrall does everything its master asks,” she shortly answered, not really in the mood to go in the details.

“…m’kay, but does it involve knowing exactly where you are? Because that was really weird.”

She looked up, staring in disbelief as the brunette was only very mildly concerned about her own well-being.

“I made you a thrall,” she breathed, guilt rising like tide inside her as she reached out, gently cradling the brunette’s face. “Ruby, I’m so sorry…”

“But I feel fine?” The brunette blinked, but didn’t try to pull away, only curling her fingers around her wrists loosely. “What if, since I’m a lycan, I’m just a teeny tiny bit a thrall? Like, able to sense where you are, but nothing else? Because seriously, I feel fine!”

“I don’t know!” She almost whined, her hands falling from Ruby’s face softly as she hunched over, a catastrophic scenario unfolding in front of her eyes as a terrible weight pressed down on her chest, constricting it and trapping her in the way. “I never wanted this, I’m… I am terribly sorry, Ruby… What will your sister say? Blake? Oh, she will definitely have my head for this…”

“Weiss, it’s okay-”

“No, it’s not!” She snapped, feeling her eyes welling up as her hands curled up in tight fists on her lap, never minding the way her hair was plastered against her head in the rain, or how it made her eyes burn as she furiously blinked. “I can’t go back to Father, I don’t have a way to feed regularly, I turned you into a thrall and for that, I can’t go back to your house, and-”

She interrupted herself when she felt a soft press against her forehead, and she blinked her unfocused eyes, clearing her vision from its earlier blur to lock eyes with Ruby’s silver ones as the young woman had gently pressed their foreheads together.

“Calm down, Weiss,” the brunette quietly murmured, her voice nearly drowned out in the constant and loud drumming of the rain around them, and she felt Ruby’s warm hands lightly wrap around her tight fists. “Whatever happens, I’ll be there with you.”

The building pressure that had been constricting her chest suddenly loosened at that, lifting from her shoulders as she relaxed slowly, letting her hands uncurl and she was relieved when Ruby gently took them, letting her thumbs run across the back of them. It amazed her how, even in this cold rain, she was still so warm, unbothered by the elements, it seemed.

Still, she couldn’t help the sharp pain tearing through her chest at the simple thought of leaving the forest, leaving this moment, as she would be faced with the unknown. It scared her much more than she liked to admit.

“You should have let me die,” she murmured, closing her eyes in defeat. “It would have been so much simpler.”

There was a pause then, but she felt Ruby’s head gently shift, lightly poking her nose with the tip of hers, seemingly to get her attention.

“Maybe,” the brunette reluctantly conceded. “But we’ll find a way. I promise.”

It made her pinch her lips for a moment, and she let the rain drip from her nose and chin, for just the space of a second, believing Ruby’s words. But then, she remembered something that made her perking up.

“Blake said she might have a… solution, for me.”

“A cure?” Ruby perked up, suddenly much more interested.

“She said it wasn’t one, but... She said it’s something that I might be interested in.”

The brunette softly hummed, lightly poking her nose again.

“Well, it’s more than what we had a second ago,” the lycan said, a smile on her lips, before pulling away to stand, still holding her hands in hers. “Let’s go!”

“Where?” She asked, once again anxious as she looked down to their hands before returning her attention on Ruby.

“Aren’t you curious to know what Blake has up her sleeve?” The brunette sounded almost excited, lightly bouncing on the ball of her feet. “So come on, let’s go! It might be the solution we’re looking for!”

“But… What about you, being a thrall-”

“Apapap!” Ruby gestured wildly with one hand, keeping the other in hers reassuringly. “How about we keep this between us? Besides, I really feel fine, Weiss. I really don’t think it’s as bad as you think it is.”

Exhaling loudly through her nose, she pinched her lips for a moment as she considered the brunette shortly, but sooner than later, she only sighed before indulging, and helped by Ruby, climbed to her feet, drinking in the smile the brunette was regarding her with.

It still gave her the same rush of warmth through her as t always did, the young woman shining so brightly and so warmly, even here, in the middle of the dark forest amidst the downpour, and… Even if she knew things weren’t resolved, that her earlier anger had settled and relented to the back of her mind, she knew that, if they could find a solution to this particular problem, they would work through this as well.

After all, Ruby had only wanted to save her life. Same thing she did, fighting against her father.

And so, she returned a small smile of her own, making Ruby’s shine even more.

“Okay,” was the only thing she said, and with it, started back to Ruby’s house, the brunette happily following, still holding her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There WILL be an epilogue, so... See you next time?
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


	8. Epilogue, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys how have you been??  
10 months!!!!!! I am so very deeply sorry... I've been working on this epilogue here and there when I could, along with some other works...
> 
> But I hope you will enjoy this! Thank you for the people who bookmarked this story; this is for you! Nearly 10K words!  
Part 2 will come... eventually! Although, not in 10 months haha

“So…” Ruby started slowly, her arms crossed over her chest and her dark brows knitted as the brunette was sitting back in her chair. “It’s not a cure.”

“No, it’s not,” Blake confirmed, nodding shortly as the faunus sat on the other side of the table, her expression serious.

“But I will stay as I am?” She said this time, confused. “I don’t think I understand.”

“You will stay as you are _right now_,” the witch insisted, lightly tapping her finger twice on the table to support her word.

“You mean, in this form?” She gestured at herself vaguely, trying to understand.

Blake dipped her head in approval, but her expression remained serious.

“If you are well-fed, you won’t need to feed again.”

“That’s the point of the whole thing, no?” Yang quietly chirped in, sitting in a chair beside Blake in nearly the same position as her sister, only she was leaning her crossed arms on the table.

“Yes, but… She won’t need to _feed_, meaning, she won’t need any kind of sustenance.”

“Oh…”

“You will stay exactly as you are at the moment of the ritual,” Blake repeated, locking her eyes with her, and she could see in them, how the witch wanted her to understand. “If you are well-fed, you will stay that way. If you are cold, you will stay that way. If you are wounded, you will stay that way.”

“So… I will never be able to fly again?” She asked from the tip of her lips, after a beat of silence.

Blake dipped her head again, her lips pinched. Then, after a moment, the witch leaned her elbows on the table, crossing her fingers together in front of her.

“You won’t be a human, nor you will be a vampire,” Blake somberly continued, her expression steeled. “You will be neither. You will be… hollow.”

“Hollow?” This time Yang’s eyebrows climbed up, the blonde sounding surprised. “That sounds so… terrible!”

“It’s called as such, because you will be deprived of all the abilities you were given,” Blake resumed, glancing quickly to Yang. “You won’t need to feed, neither will you need to drink, sleep, even breathe if you want to. You will be just as you are, physically. That’s why I’m telling you to think about it.”

“But, that’s… I mean, it doesn’t sound really…” Ruby was muttering under her breath, uncrossing her arms to rub the back of her neck.

“I know it doesn’t sound… ideal,” Blake said slowly, her golden eyes darting down on the table. “But it’s the only solution I can give you. We can try to find something else, if you want, but… I’m sure we will run out of time, if we do.”

As Blake sent a glance her way, she only looked out the window, realising there were still a couple of hours before dawn, and suddenly feeling restless, she abruptly stood, the chair scraping loudly behind her.

“Do you mind if I take a few hours to think about it?” She whispered, returning her attention on the witch.

Who once again dipped her head, offering a small smile in return.

“Of course not, Weiss. Just… Make sure it’s the right decision for you. I don’t want to end up making a mistake.”

“Thank you,” she dipped her head in turn, before grabbing Ruby’s wrist and unceremoniously dragged the young woman with her on her way to the door, making Ruby yelp in surprise.

Without stopping, she threw the door open and didn’t even flinch at the light drizzle that still fell from the sky, cold, but it didn’t bother her as she kept marching on towards the woods, then let go of Ruby’s wrist just the time to change form.

When she turned to the young woman again, Ruby was already waiting in front of her, apparently knowing what she had in mind, and all she had to do was close her arms around the lycan, securing her, then, with a heave, took flight.

She hadn’t thought farther than that, actually. She just knew she wanted to get out of the house, and spend the night flying, enough to have her fill and wanted Ruby with her.

Where she would go, or what she would do, however, had yet to come to mind, but Ruby silently pointed, far over the dense forest below, towards the ocean, somehow the clouds covering the sky still let some of the moon’s rays filter down and making it shine.

So to the ocean it was. And she found out that trying everything Ruby proposed was fun and satisfying, like when Ruby asked her to go as fast as she could, and to be as close as she could from the water, to create some kind of divot in the water behind them.

Then, as she was spinning on herself and returning higher in the sky, hearing the delighted laughter of Ruby echoing in the night, her eye caught a glimpse of a flash, in the corner of it, and she searched for its source, soon realising that it was, distantly, the castle. The light of the moon had reflected on a window, catching her attention.

She couldn’t help but stare, flapping her wings to stay in place for a moment, wondering… Wondering if her father was regretting his act. If he was sad, or at least chagrined at the thought that maybe, he left her there to die. Wondered if, maybe before they were vampires, he ever loved her, because her memories were hazy, couldn’t be trusted.

She wondered if he would mourn her, if he thought she did die.

But then she knew he wouldn’t. Knew that his heart had rotten over the years, and he let it fester until it poisoned his mind. She knew he didn’t harbour a semblance of affection for anyone under this control he seemed so eager to possess.

And it… didn’t sit right with her.

It was strange, what she was feeling as she suddenly moved again, deciding to climb up in the sky, her eyes set on the low, heavy clouds above them. She wasn’t angry, at least, not completely. And she wasn’t sad, either. It was… something in between. Something… that shouldn’t be.

It made her feel like she didn’t matter. Like no matter what she did, it would be in vain, and even this whole situation was only futile. Like she was struggling for nothing, because she wasn’t worth the effort.

She was only worth to be left behind, broken and bleeding, until she died.

It was visceral, twisted her guts like a giant, burning hand, it made her want to scream and cry at the same time, and she gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with unshed tears as she couldn’t stop thinking how unfair it all was, and she pushed to get higher, again and again, hearing with only one ear Ruby’s cheerful encouragements.

She never asked for this. Never asked for anything, ever. And yet, here she was, forbidden from her birthplace after her father nearly killed her for loving the wrong person. Or, more accurately, the wrong _kind_ of person.

She hated that her father forced this situation on her, forced her to choose between staying a vampire or going into the unknown, with unknown results. She hated that, once again, she felt alone and scared, because of him.

They pierced the clouds without resistance, but were completely drenched as they did. Ruby didn’t even seem to have noticed, as she heard the quiet, shocked gasp coming from the young woman.

Up over the clouds, the moon was full, shining down on cotton-like clouds that stretched as far as the eye could see. The stars were shining bright, seemingly trying their utmost to impress them, as each beat of her wings made the clouds under them swirl until it reformed itself. It all felt like a scene pulled straight from a dream.

But Ruby felt solid in her arms, felt warm against her, and it convinced her that it wasn’t a dream, just as much as the burning of bottled up feelings in her chest started to ache, willing to be expressed.

She wanted to do something dangerous, for once in her life. It made her thoughts grow dark, clouding her judgment, and not even the peaceful, dreamy sight was able to calm her down. So, tightening her hold around Ruby and taking a deep breath in, she flapped her wings, taking a couple of feet higher in the air, before folding them against her back.

Ruby let out a tiny sound of alarm when they slowly dipped to the side before falling freely, headfirst, plunging through the clouds and reappearing on the other side at break-neck speed, headed straight for the ocean.

The wind was roaring in her ears and she kept her eyes narrowed, able to see even with the drizzle that, with the speed they had, was whipping her face.

They had traveled quite a bit over the clouds, because they weren’t at the same place they were before, the shore was different and the town was nowhere to be seen, now. It was going to be easy going back in town, though; Beacon’s tower was still standing tall, much taller than any neighboring trees.

But she could see a cliff, in the distance, with a massive waterfall feeding the ocean, and at its feet, the reef bursting out of the water like jagged teeth, keeping any kind of boat at bay.

Returning her attention on the quickly approaching water, she decided that this waterfall would be their next step as she set her jaw, once again hearing with one ear the growing concern in Ruby’s voice.

If she had been alone… she didn’t know if she would have stopped. She was strangely aware of how self-destructive it would be; she would probably break a couple of bones when she would meet the water. She couldn’t die of drowning, though, but the experience would be utterly unpleasant still, stuck in the bottom of this part of water, waiting for sunrise as a sweet release.

But she would never endanger Ruby. And so, with an appropriate amount of distance between them and the water, she abruptly stretched her wings and pulled up, hearing the loud sigh of relief the brunette let out.

Still, they were going faster than ever, and she went straight towards the reef, entirely focused on slaloming between these large teeth of rock, sometimes missing from crashing into them only by a hair, and she had to use all her agility and quick manoeuvers to keep them from hitting the wall of rock that was the cliff, instead climbing up quickly, greatly helped by the breath of the waterfall.

It had been a demanding and exhausting experience, but she kept her speed, finding her mind clearer with each beat of wings, the ache that had been bleeding her chest soothed by the wind rushing in her ears.

But even if she was calmer now, they were still a long way from home, and she changed course in a lazy arc that Ruby seemed glad of, the brunette gently holding her hands as they drifted in the air.

But before long, an ache had formed between her shoulder blades. Her muscles screamed whenever she flapped her wings, and her hold on Ruby was slowly loosening. So, she increased the pace, hoping they would be back to the dense forest in time.

Sooner than later, it was in sight; a large, dark patch of shadow that ran along the shore, and she turned to it, relieved to know that they would be home soon.

But that relief stopped the adrenaline-fueled desperation with which she was pushing to keep going. And suddenly, the mere _idea_ of flapping her wings one more time sent aches all over her body.

They started to lose altitude, quickly, fast enough for Ruby to catch on that something was wrong, and she barely had the time to see the lycan’s silver eyes before she couldn’t go on, anymore. They weren’t as high as they were before… she was sure Ruby could make the landing.

For her, though… Right now, she couldn’t care less.

She felt them fall, freely now as she changed form, unable to keep it longer, her arms slowly letting go of Ruby as the young woman’s voice rang in her ears as if she screamed her name, but… she was just so exhausted. And it felt good, to simply… float, like this.

Weightless. The trauma of what her father did to her, for the space of a single moment, was removed from her chest, finally letting her breathe with ease.

She saw Ruby change form, beside her. Saw the lycan extend a desperate, clawed hand towards her. For a short moment, she was tempted not to take it, one last flicker of self-deprecating thought keeping her from reaching out. But she heard, distantly, Ruby’s whine, ringing painfully in her ear.

She took it.

Instantly, the massive frame curled around her and she closed her eyes just as they reached the tallest trees. A cacophony of broken branches sounded, leaves rustling violently, and Ruby groaning resonated against her ear as she felt them tumbling from one side then the other, before finally landing with a loud, dull thud on the muddy ground of the forest, the ground shaking as they did.

They remained still for a long moment, the drizzle resuming its quiet drumming on the nearby leaves, and she blearily opened one eye when she felt something wet fall on her face, realising it was a leaf. And as she looked up, lazily blinking, she could see the line of broken branches, the deep gashes in the trunks of the trees, and under her, she felt the large chest shudder as Ruby let out a deep sigh.

The fur against her cheek was warm and soft, at least the dry parts. Closing her eyes again, she buried her nose in this warmth, and took a deep breath, Ruby’s scent filling her nose and calming her rampaging mind like it usually did.

After everything was still again and the nocturnal animals had resumed their songs, Ruby changed form under her, and she was left sprawled in the mud, her head resting on top of Ruby’s chest.

“Remind me to never fly with you when you’re like that,” the brunette mumbled, her voice sounding weary. “I nearly had a heart attack a couple times, up there.”

A touch of guilt made her frown, the pressure in her chest only increasing at that.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, feeling a lump forming in her throat. “I… I don’t know what came over me…”

“No, _I’m_ sorry.”

Her features scrunching up as she opened her eyes, she lifted her head to look up at Ruby, and she realised how just that made her tremble with exertion.

“What?” She breathed out, confused.

“I was so focused on saving you that I… I didn’t stop to ask how _you_ felt.”

Blinking as her confusion only grew, she leaned her chin down on Ruby’s chest, relieving her aching muscles as she did.

“I don’t-”

She interrupted herself when she felt the brunette’s arms close tightly around her, holding her, safe and sound, closely against the lycan’s chest, and just like that she could hear, slow and steady, Ruby’s heart beating against her ear.

“It’s going to be okay,” the brunette murmured against her hair, quiet and reassuring. “You matter to me. To us. I promise, Weiss, you belong with us, and we’ll make a home for you with us.”

The lump in her throat only grew as her eyes widened, the burning in them returning with a vengeance as she felt one of Ruby’s hands gently rubbing soothing circles across her back, the brunette still held her closely, apparently willing to take all the time she needed to process.

And it was slow. It was as if her brain was clogged, the words crowding her ears until the metaphorical plug was pulled, letting the meaning flow freely in her mind.

And for the first time in centuries, she cried. For the first time in her life, she did in front of someone.

And Ruby held her all the while, a reassuring presence that she didn’t know she craved right now as she curled her fingers in her shirt, and she didn’t know if the salt she tasted on her lips were due to the rain or her tears.

She could hear, distantly, Ruby’s quiet encouragement, a soft ‘That’s it, let it all out’ here, ‘You’re going to be okay’ there, along with quiet reassurances and sweet nothings slowly settle her, the burning in her chest soothing to nothing, and all that was left were cold embers, still there but harmless, now.

The drizzle had stopped, at some point, as they just laid there, and Ruby didn’t move an inch, the hand that had been rubbing her back now cradling her head and thumbing her hair gently. She had stopped crying some time ago, but she was still shaken by distant sobs from time to time, her eyes half-open and burning with fatigue.

Just the thought of leaving this place, even if they were completely drenched from the rain and the cool breeze was making Ruby shiver, seemed like an impossible task for her, as she was willing to simply lay there for the rest of time, secured in Ruby’s arms.

“Dawn’s breaking soon,” she heard, silent, Ruby’s voice in her ear.

She hummed shortly, disturbed in her peace as she blinked lazily, wondering how she would ever stand on her feet. But the lycan gave a soft squeeze, holding her tighter for a second.

“We should head back,” Ruby continued in the same way, and she closed her eyes when she felt a soft kiss being pressed on top of her head. “I’ll carry you. You just rest.”

She hummed again, unable to form words at this point as she felt Ruby slowly move under her, then she was lifted in strong arms, but her ear was still pressed against the brunette’s chest, still hearing her heart beating.

Soon, the wet shirt under her cheek was traded to soft, warm fur, and she cracked one eye open to see that Ruby had cradled her in the crook of an arm against the large chest, and the lycan was moving quickly through the forest. Then she closed her eye, and let her exertion take her, slipping into a dreamless sleep in a matter of seconds.

****

She was woken up by voices conversing nearby, and her eyes snapped open, a growl of irritation just shy her lips at being disturbed in her slumber. Judging by the muffled voices, it came from the next room, and she felt her irritation only grow when she knew it was still daytime.

Waking up earlier than she should always put her in a bad mood. But when she was _woken up_, now it was a very foul mood that accompanied her for the rest of the day.

She stretched with a groan, the aches from earlier gone now as she realised it was maybe midday, the bright stripe of sun filtering through the curtains on the center of the floor confirming her guess as she narrowed her eyes, but then she noticed a lone pillow and blanket sprawled on the floor. Now that made her frown curiously.

A sudden exclamation coming from the next room caught her attention, and she listened more attentively, a sliver of guilt crossing her mind about being nosy.

“I’m a dumbass who knows nothing!” That voice was Ruby’s, there were no doubts about it. She just wondered what had made her so… irritated.

“Ruby, you’re not a dumbass,” a sigh sounded, and it took her a moment before recognizing Yang’s voice, for the blonde sounded just at the end of a yawn. “And you know a whole lot about a whole lot of things. You just… didn’t know about that.”

“But how?” Ruby sounded just a hair from distressed, her voice sounding tight and on edge even to her ears. “I _literally_ could feel what she was feeling, and I only realised when she was staring at the castle-”

“Ruby,” Yang interrupted gently. “You didn’t know. It’s okay.”

A soft chime sounded, one that she did not recognise as she jumped to her feet, furrowing her brows deeply as she searched across the room what may have caused this noise, until the soft hum coming from the other room caught her attention again.

“Blake says she might have an answer for your question,” the blonde mumbled, and she could hear in her voice the soft frown appearing on her face. “She says to meet her at her house. She’s at the library, but she’ll be back soon.”

“Uh…” Ruby audibly shifted in her chair, her voice calmer than moments ago. “I mean I would, but what about Weiss? It’s sunny outside…”

A strange, guttural laugh sounded that she believed to be Yang, and a long, ominous creak filled the silence, either from the table or the chair, she wasn’t sure.

“Wanna see how much of a goth your girlfriend can be?” Now _that_ was Yang, with every layer of teasing in her voice.

A nervous babble sounded on the other side of the door, and she felt her own cheeks tingling in what she knew would be a blush, and she pressed closer to the door, the worry about being nosy now flying out the window.

“I- well, she- Uh, I mean we- we haven’t talked about this, so I don’t know, and I mean-”

Yang’s laughter covered the still ongoing gibberish Ruby’s nervousness was letting out, and the clap that sounded next either came from a frustrated Ruby, or a smug Yang. Once again, she wasn’t sure.

“Aw come on! You can’t tell me you don’t know if she’s your girlfriend; you’ve been girlfriends for a while, you two just didn’t know it yet.”

A silence stretched on the other side of the door, and a couple of beats passed before the same soft chime sounded, along with Yang’s soft hum.

“Blake says an umbrella should do the trick.”

“‘Should do the trick’?” Ruby repeated, alarmed. “We’re going halfway across town, and it ‘should’ do the trick?!”

A non-comital hum sounded in response, and she sighed in irritation at the conversation moving elsewhere. Still, after taking a deep breath to settle her tired mind, she came to the conclusion that she should end this intrusion to the sisters’ privacy by listening in, and should make her presence known. So, she forced a calm expression as she opened the door, before either of the sisters could add something else.

Her sudden presence in the kitchen made both sisters look up in unison, and Ruby offered a small, if a bit nervous, smile.

“Hi!” The youngest greeted, turning in her chair to better see her. “Awake already?”

She felt her eye twitch as she stepped closer, irritation flaring.

“I wouldn’t if you two had the least bit of respect for sleeping guests,” she couldn’t help the dry retort, taking a seat beside the brunette.

She noticed how Ruby shrunk in her chair and how Yang grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck guiltily.

“Sorry, I guess we got a bit… carried away,” the blonde had at least the decency of apologising, and she felt her irritation smooth over with just that.

Releasing a sigh as she rubbed her tired eyes, she wondered shortly how to broached the subject of the sisters’ conversation without giving away that she was listening in, but was saved the trouble by Ruby, who lightly touched her arm to gain her attention.

“Blake invited us over to her house,” the brunette started quietly, visibly shifting a bit anxiously in her chair. “It’s okay if you want to stay here, though, because there’s a good number of hours of sunlight still.”

“It’s fine. I will go with you,” she assured, before looking down on herself, at the light shirt and skirt she was wearing. “Although, I am not properly dressed to walk in sunlight.”

“That can be arranged!” Yang instantly jumped to her feet, a wide smile on her lips. “Blake left a ton of clothes here, surely we can find something dark and thick enough between the three of us!”

****

Dressed in black from head to toe in Ruby’s sweatpants (although she quite wondered why it was called as such), one of Blake’s black sweater (once again, the same question) thick boots that were too big for her because they were Yang’s, a pair of winter leather gloves and completed with big and dark sunglasses that ate almost half of her face, she was clutching the umbrella in her hands with trembling hands when she took her first uneasy step outside.

She had almost expected for the sun to burn through the clothes and went directly to her skin, expected pain at every second… But soon found herself standing in the shade of her umbrella without harm, flanked by Ruby and Yang as the sisters were waiting on her, ready to shove her back inside at the slightest sign of distress.

But even with the heavily tainted sunglasses, the sights of the town during the day wasn’t the same at all, as the town was buzzing with activity.

She felt Ruby’s presence close, and she turned to her, a bit breathless.

“I’m standing outside,” she let out, dumbfounded.

“Yep,” Ruby nodded solemnly.

“In bright daylight, I’m standing outside!”

The grogginess of her lack of sleep for the moment eclipsed by the immeasurable rush of adrenaline this simple fact procured, she giggled as she jumped on the balls of her feet, keeping both hands on the handle of the umbrella as she smiled at Ruby, who returned it in a heartbeat.

After Yang locked the house, they slowly started in a walk, giving her enough time to look around their surroundings with newfound interest. She had to say, besides Ruby’s backyard, she didn’t know much about the town in itself. The last time she came by during daytime was, well…

“I always wondered, what are those… horseless carriages?” She asked curiously when one passed beside them.

It went faster than she had anticipated, and closer to her than she liked, and she jumped to the side with a small yelp, the gust of wind it created pulling the umbrella from her hands. But she held it firmly, and was glad when Ruby pushed her to the side, so she wasn’t right beside the street.

“… The what?” Yang slowly let out, and the tightness of her voice gave enough of a hint that she was holding her laughter back.

Instantly, a scowl formed on her face as she glared at the blonde, entirely not in the mood to be laughed at.

“Never mind.”

“No no, I just want to make sure I heard right…”

“You’re only going to mock my ignorance. I’m sorry I don’t know everything,” she grumbled under her breath, allowing a bit more bite to it than normal.

“That’s a car, Weiss. It doesn’t need horses because there’s a battery inside, giving it the energy it needs to move.”

“A battery?”

“Uh… It’s like this container, but, like, it holds energy in it?”

“Like a lightbulb and electricity!” she exclaimed in a gasp.

It made Ruby smile, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

“Yeah, kinda like a lightbulb! Although, the car isn’t powered _just_ with electricity, there’s also gas that is transformed when burned into energy, and… It’s a bit complicated for a short conversation, but I could explain it better later?”

“Alright,” she chuckled lightly, twirling the umbrella in her hands. Then, after a thoughtful moment, “Do you think a car is called as such because its ancestor is a carriage?”

It elicited a long, thoughtful hum from both sisters, until finally it was Yang that shrugged, but her eyebrows were still furrowed, giving it some more thought.

“I’m sure it has something to do with it.”

It was her turn to hum shortly, nodding, and a silence fell over them, comfortable, as they continued their walk. As the sidewalk wasn’t big enough of all three of them to walk side-by-side, her and Ruby were in front and Yang followed in tow.

But as they continued to walk, she was suddenly awfully aware of how silent Ruby was being. Discreetly and hidden behind the sunglasses, she glanced to the side at the brunette, and found her staring at the ground in front of her, a smile nowhere to be seen on her lips, with her hands buried in the pockets of her jacket.

She thought back to the conversation earlier that she had listened in, about Ruby’s concerns… About Ruby being oblivious to something… Then her hesitation about being associated with her…

It made her wonder then, what was going through Ruby’s mind. She wished she could just ask, but… Maybe it was a conversation for the both of them only, not when prying ears disguised as a blonde woman was walking right behind them.

Maybe… Maybe she had been too hard on Ruby. Maybe she pushed her away, maybe… Maybe she really scared the brunette, last night, when she felt so very distressed and unsteady…

Shame gnawed at her, made her grip on the umbrella tighten and her gut twist. Did she inadvertently destroy what they had? Or, rather, the budding of something they could have? Was it still salvageable? Or Ruby changed her mind?

Glancing at Ruby again, she hoped she was worrying for nothing. But just to be sure, after gathering her courage and uneasily left a single hand to hold the umbrella, she carefully wrapped her hand around Ruby’s arm, wondering if she wasn’t too forward.

After all, she _was_ claiming the girl. Walking around for everyone to see that she was _with_ Ruby like this, like she had seen so many men try to do with her before… It meant everything to her, but… But she would understand if Ruby rejected her. After everything that happened…

To her surprise, the brunette only blinked up at her and smiled sweetly, even walking closer to her so she wouldn’t stretch her arm too far from the shade of the umbrella.

She was left speechless. Did it mean that Ruby accepted her? Or she was simply being… Ruby? Still, a rush of warmth climbed up her spine and buzzed in her chest as she held Ruby’s arm closer to her, shielding Ruby from the harsh sun too.

No sooner than that, a blush was visibly growing on Ruby’s cheeks as the brunette glanced back at her, shyly.

“You uh… You okay over there?”

Her voice kept low and almost in a hushed tone, Ruby spoke softly, the blush on her cheeks only darkening when she nodded vehemently, a smile pulling her lip as she hummed happily.

Feeling like nothing could ruin this moment, she walked with purpose, holding her chin high as she knew that whatever happened next, she would face it with Ruby by her side, and nothing could stop them.

A hand laying on top of hers on Ruby’s arm caught her attention, and she looked over to see that Ruby’s face was as red as the hoodie the brunette was wearing, and her silver eyes were nervously glancing back and forth from the ground to her.

“It’s, uh… it’s a bit overwhelming…”

Confused, she slowed her walk, her brows furrowing just a touch.

“What is?”

Swallowing thickly, Ruby darted her eyes away, the blush creeping down her neck.

“What you’re feeling right now…”

“… Oh.”

Suddenly realising what Ruby had said, she stopped in her tracks, just shy of mortified, and made Ruby stop too. On her side, Yang merely stepped around them and continued walking, tapping away on her phone, oblivious to the world it seemed.

“Is this…” Ruby started quietly, her free hand coming up to rest atop her own chest, rubbing gently. “Is this what you feel for me?”

Nervousness made her grip both on her umbrella and on Ruby’s arm tighten, and she swallowed the dryness in her throat, but steeling her nerves, she nodded, hoping she could seem as serious as she felt. Instantly, Ruby’s eyes closed, and a soft, small smile blossomed on her lips, affection bleeding from the brunette’s form, now.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good,” Ruby chuckled lightly, breathlessly, and it made her smile like an idiot, chuckling along.

A silence rested over them for a moment as their eyes locked, and for the space of a handful of seconds, it was only the two of them in the whole, wide world, hidden away under an umbrella that she very nearly dropped when Ruby smiled again.

But the moment was gone when Ruby cleared her throat quietly, shifting to face her completely, now.

“I have to tell you something.”

Perking up as she was pulled from her trance, she observed the brunette with attention, a pinprick of worry needling at her heart.

“I know I told you I would keep it between us, but…” Ruby started, and instantly she felt her eyes widening, the contentment she had felt seconds ago now replaced by growing panic. “After what happened last night, I just… I need to know what it is, because it was very… frightening,” the brunette finally said, looking up to meet her eyes. “So I talked to Blake, asked her if she knew what it was. Since she knows all kinds of stuff about-”

“But what if she tells Yang? I’d like to keep my head on my shoulders!” She couldn’t help but hiss back, darting her eyes to the side to follow Yang, that was still walking away from them, the world lost to her.

“Blake doesn’t think it’s a thrall thing, though,” Ruby insisted, lightly pulling on her hands to gain her attention back. “That’s why we’re going to Blake’s, right now, because she thinks she found what this is. But she assured me _and_ Yang that if I was your thrall, that conversation would have never happened in the first place.”

All the warmth that had settled in her chest vanished like snow in the sun, instead replaced by a mixed cocktail of feelings that she didn’t quite dare to name. Angry, that Ruby took this decision without consulting her. Resentment, that she had once again terrified Ruby without meaning to. Disappointment, because _of course_ it had scared Ruby, her own thoughts had terrified her, why did she think Ruby would be alright with this?

So after munching on her lip for a long, agonising moment with her eyes down and staring at their hands, she let out a small sigh.

“I understand,” she murmured, but Ruby perked up all the same. “I just wish…”

“I would have talked to you about this, but you passed out even before we were out of the woods and then I didn’t want to wake you just to ask you this, and…” A long, deep sigh made Ruby’s shoulders droop, and much like her, Ruby’s silver eyes went down on their hands, her thumb gently rubbing over the leather of the glove she was wearing. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

Looking up at Ruby with a frown, the smile that pulled the brunette’s lips was sad and small, and with a sharp intake of air, she squeezed her hand gently.

“I took the choice from you again, I thought… I thought I had learned my lesson, but…” Then, after another long sigh, “… I’m really bad at this.”

Angling her head with a quiet scoff, she tried to catch the brunette’s attention.

“Ruby-”

“Guys! What’s the hold-up?”

They turned in unison towards Yang’s voice, who had shouted from further up the sidewalk and was presently waving them over somewhat urgently.

“Blake’s back! Let’s go!”

Slipping from her grasp without another word, Ruby pulled away from her gently and went to join her sister, and she was left there, alone under the shade of her umbrella. She couldn’t stop thinking about how miserable Ruby looked, about how sad and disappointed she sounded when she said that last sentence…

No, she thought, feeling a weight pressing down her chest. _I am_ bad at this.

Never before she had someone she cared for that deeply, never before someone cared about her as deeply as she did, and… She just kept putting this relationship in jeopardy because she didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know if she could trust… herself.

She didn’t trust herself. And she couldn’t understand why Ruby did trust her, after all she’s done, after all the mistakes she’s made, and Ruby just…

Ruby thought _she_ was the one who was bad at this?!

No. No, this wouldn’t do. At all.

Taking in a sharp breath, she squared her shoulders and started towards the sisters, decided to find a way to fix this situation.

****

They finally arrived in front of Blake’s house, and she had to say… it was charming. Small, but cozy, if a bit recluse in the cul-de-sac. Tall trees boarded it, shading the windows on its sides, and before she could say something, Yang went inside without knocking, and Ruby followed, the door quietly closing behind her.

With a tired, irritated sigh, she crossed her arms in front of her and stood in front of the door, tapping her foot, and waited.

It took a couple of minutes, which only irked her some more, until finally, the door opened again, with Blake staring at her, confused.

“What are you doing?” The faunus asked, and Ruby and Yang’s heads popped right beside her, observing curiously.

“I’m a_ vampire_, Blake,” she hissed, her eye twitching as her foul mood had come back with a vengeance, now. “Can I come in?” She asked through gritted teeth, glowering behind her sunglasses.

“Oh, right,” the faunus seemed to remember, and she narrowed her eyes at the witch, wondering if she would have to endure some more teasing. But Blake only nodded, reaching for something in her hair. “Sure, come on in.”

She was almost surprise that Blake had let her in without any teasing, but she understood when she stepped inside, closing the door behind her, and nearly dropped the umbrella to the ground in surprise.

The outside… didn’t match the inside, for sure, she realised, astonished. The walls were much higher than the house suggested, and most of the walls were cramped with tall bookshelves filled with books, old and older. The sent of dust and burnt wax was strong in the air, along with the smoky scent that was Blake’s and practically oozing from every piece of furniture the house held.

Her attention went back to the group as the sisters crowded Blake around a table, at the foot of the biggest bookshelf, in the center of the room, and she saw that Blake was munching on a pencil as she was paging through what seemed a very old tome, distracted.

Pulling off the sunglasses, the gloves and closing the umbrella to leave it at the door, she stepped further inside, wondering if Blake ever read all of these books, or if she simply kept them for safekeeping. A chirping sound beside her caught her attention, and she turned just in time to see a black, lean cat jump on the low table beside her, and their eyes met.

It was a mistake.

She took several steps back, already knowing that animals didn’t like her company, but the cat started to hiss, its ears pulled back as it rounded its back, and she felt her eyes widening when the cat grew in size right in front of her eyes.

“Blake?” She called, hoping to get some help.

Appearing from seemingly nowhere, another black cat jumped in front of her, now both in the same ridiculous over-sized feral-like feline, and as her back hit the wall, she noticed that one cat had green eyes, and the other had blue eyes.

“Gambol! Shroud! That’s enough!”

She blinked when both cats all but exploded in a cloud of smoke when Blake jumped between her and them, and her eyes widened again when she found the same two cats, now in regular size at Blake’s feet as the faunus sat her fists on her hips.

“That is no way to treat a guest!”

Both cats dipped their heads in shame, and Blake briefly glanced back at her, seemingly to make sure she was still in one piece, before returning her attention to the misbehaving cats at her feet.

“Now, apologise.”

“We are very sorry for our behavior,” a male voice sounded, almost bored, as the cat with green eyes looked up at her.

“We didn’t know you were a guest,” a feminine voice continued, much more softly, as blue eyes glanced up at her. “It will never happen again.”

As Blake dismissed the cats with a wave of her hands, making them jump away from them, she looked up at Ruby in stupefaction, but the fact that the brunette simply shrugged signaled to her that it wasn’t a strange occurrence.

“I’m so sorry,” Blake sighed as she turned back to her, running a hand in her hair. “They’re my familiars and the protectors of the house, and I didn’t properly introduce you…”

“It’s alright,” she let out slowly, eyeing their surroundings. “Any other surprises I should expect?”

“No, nothing,” Blake shook her head, moving to return to the table she had been before, but barely one step in and the faunus stopped again, turning halfway to her. “Actually, don’t go in the basement.”

As the faunus went back to her tome, she blinked, then looked over at Ruby, the brunette staring back at her. Discreetly making her way to the girl, she leaned slightly into the lycan, to talk in a hushed voice.

“What is in the basement?”

In the same way, Ruby slightly leaned over, speaking in the corner of her mouth.

“I don’t know, and at this point I’m too afraid to ask.”

“Alright, gather ‘round,” Yang said loud enough to catch their attention, her lilac eyes to the page Blake was at. “I think we found it.”

As Ruby promptly jumped closer, she approached the table warily, reluctant to find the answer to Ruby’s question. She _was_ sure that Blake was right, that Ruby wasn’t her thrall, but it didn’t stop her from worrying either…

“Blood bond,” Blake said firmly, tapping her finger on what was written on the page.

“Blood bond?” Ruby repeated, unsure. “What… what does it mean?”

“I know what it means,” she blurted out, her eyes falling staying on the book as the three others turned to stare at her.

Of course. Now that the idea was out in the open like this, it all seemed so clear, so obvious that she chastised herself for not thinking about it earlier.

Pinching her lips for a moment to stare at Ruby, she finally released a short sigh, taking one of the nearby chairs without adding something else, and crossed her fingers together over the table, glancing at Blake’s thick tome on the table.

“Blake is right,” she let out after a strangely tense silence, her eyes kept to her own hands. “I did not have the proper time to really… process all that happened, but,” she paused, turning a bit to Ruby. “I do think that you are… my blood bond.”

It made the brunette blink.

“Sure, but what does it mean?” Ruby then asked, curious.

“Whereas thralls are mere servants, when a blood bond is formed, the bond-mate is… more a companion than a servant. It also means that we can’t stray far from each other, anymore.”

“Really?” Yang sounded surprised, leaning her chin on her fist as her blonde eyebrows were arched. “What happens if you’re separated?”

“They will grow weak without each other,” Blake was the one to answer, producing a pencil from seemingly nowhere and scribbling something in the book. “If kept too long without each other, they will… wither. And, eventually, die.”

“It takes time to die this way,” she quickly stepped in at the sight of the growing horror on Ruby’s face. “Years, maybe decades.”

“That’s horrible!” The brunette softly breathed out, bringing a hand to her chest, over her heart.

“‘If a bond-mate is killed, the vampire can still forge other blood bonds throughout their lives’,” Blake read out lout from her tome, following the line she was reading with a finger. “‘However, if the vampire is killed, the bond-mate will experience chronic pain for the rest of their lives.’” A short pause accompanied this, before the witch simply closed the book flatly, with a quiet sigh. “Well that’s depressing.”

“So Weiss?” Yang spoke, catching her attention. “Small favor? Don’t get killed.”

Glaring at the blonde, she felt her eye twitch as the light cross of her fingers was now a death grip, her already pale knuckles going bone white.

“Very funny,” she hissed, and beside her, Ruby shifted nervously as she took a seat.

“It’s just a suggestion! Sheesh…”

“So, have you come to a decision?” Blake caught her attention back, her golden eyes falling on her, so serious now. “About… the situation at hand?”

The question made her pause as she returned her eyes on her hands, opening her mouth only to close it without saying anything a second after.

The midnight flight of last night had been supposed to be about this, and yet, she had let it derail completely. But… It was a hard choice. There was nothing she wanted more than stay with Ruby without the stress of having to feed, nor the fear of maybe biting someone, just like what happened with Ruby, but…

But… Was she ready to part with her abilities? Would her hearing be as sharp as it is now? Would her sight be?

“Will I age?” She asked suddenly, anxiously looking up at Blake.

The faunus shifted slightly in her seat, toying with the edge of her sleeve.

“I believe you won’t,” the witch quietly answered. “Or if you do, it will be slow. It always depends on what one is before the hollowing, but as you are a vampire, I’m fairly sure you will still have a long life before you.”

“Lycans live long life too, you know,” Yang merely commented, sending her a quick wink. “Just so you know.”

“And witches don’t,” Blake dryly commented. “But that will be a conversation for another time.”

As she watched Yang reach a hand to gently take Blake’s, watched the blonde offer a sympathetic smile to Blake as the faunus, reluctantly it seemed, finally returned it, it made her wonder how it would be like.

Everyone she knew, up until she met Ruby, was a vampire. The notion of lifespan was never a subject she had to think about. The cattle wasn’t her responsibility; the only thing she knew was that when one died, another one took its place.

She knew lycans lived long life; she wasn’t sure where she had acquired the knowledge, though. But it was never something she had considered, if she would ever meet someone who wasn’t a vampire like her.

She wondered if Blake and Yang talked about it. Wondered if they had planned to stay together until Blake’s time was up, or… Or if they didn’t talk about it and would just… see how it goes.

A knock at the door interrupted them.

Blake nearly snapped her neck when she swiveled around to stare at it accusingly, clearly wondering who would dare disturb them, and in the corner of her eye, she saw the same cats from earlier, both jumping on the table in front of them.

“Mistress!” The cat with blue eyes said, wide and glancing back and forth between Blake and the door.

“You mother!” The green-eyed cat continued, his voice as distressed as the blue-eyed one.

With a loud gasp, Blake brought both hands in her hair, her eyes widening in panic.

“My mom!” Clearly, the three had completely forgot about the visit. “Gambol, take care of upstairs,” Blake ordered, and the green-eyed cat nodded, before jumping away, as quick as lightning. “Shroud… Please, do something about the basement. I’ll deal with the ground-floor.”

“I will do my best, Mistress,” the blue-eyed cat dipped its head before running away.

“Okay,” Blake breathed out, planting the pencil she held back into the messy, loose bun she had. “You guys stand here,” the faunus continued, guiding them in the center of the room and away from any walls and furniture. “Don’t move,” she insisted, before moving away.

Taking the time to grab the thick tome, Blake spoke in a low voice, in a foreign language as she moved about the room, taking this and that, and right in front of their eyes the entire house changed, shifting and creaking into the house that corresponded to what it looked like outside. The tall bookshelves were gone, only a few and small ones remained, and as soon as the room stopped moving, with still a couple of stray sheets of paper slowly falling to the floor, Blake jumped to the door, sliding the thick tome in place in one of the nearby bookshelves.

“Does it happen often?” She couldn’t help but ask, mesmerised but astonished about what had happened.

Ruby shook her head, just as awestruck as her, but Yang shrugged, running a hand in her hair.

“Only saw it happen once before, basically for the same reason. Blake was so busy she forgot about her mom coming to visit.”

“I understand for today, but I though Blake was like, super chill, why was she so busy for?” Ruby asked, looking up at Yang.

Whose cheeks started to pinken as her lilac eyes darted away.

“Uuuuh…”

As Ruby narrowed her eyes at her sister, she turned her attention towards the door, observing Blake as she greeted her mother.

“Ew, Yang. Gross.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“Didn’t have to.”

“Hi mom!” Blake greeted as soon as the door flew open, breathless, but a large smile pulled her lips.

“Hello honey!” The woman responded with the same energy, already throwing her arms around her daughter to hug her tightly, and Blake hugged her right back. “Oh, it’s been too long! How are you? How is your tender half?”

“Tender half here!” Yang jokingly let out, rising her hand in the air.

It instantly caught the woman’s attention as she pulled away from Blake and practically floated all the way to them, with the same beaming smile never moving from her lips, and embraced Yang with just the same affection she did with Blake.

“It’s so good to see you, Yang!”

“It’s good to see you too, Kali,” the blonde hugged her back tightly.

Pulling away after a moment, the woman cupped Yang’s cheeks to observe her for a moment while Blake came closer, and even she could see how affection filled her eyes when the faunus’ golden eyes observed the two. Then, Kali took a step back and turned to Ruby, with a warm, friendly smile on her lips.

“Hello! And you are?” Kali asked curiously.

“That’s my sister, Ruby,” Yang was quick to jump in, wrapping an arm around the brunette’s shoulder to give it a short, affectionate squeeze.

The woman’s eyes widened with recognition, and she looked over the younger girl again, seeing her under a new light.

“Ruby, hi!” Kali took her hand to shake it, and Ruby managed a nervous smile, small, but still sincere. “I heard so much about Yang’s little sister, she can’t stop talking about you!”

“Really?” Ruby huffed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Yes, really, you better believe it!” Kali laughed, turning to the final member of the group. “Hi! And you are?”

For a moment she froze, staring back into big, wide and earnest amber eyes that looked so similar to Blake’s… But the scent was all wrong. This woman wasn’t a witch.

She was human.

A not-so-subtle elbow to her side brought her back to present, and she blinked, barely noticing the expectant raise of dark eyebrows from Blake’s mother in front of her.

“Oh, um, I’m… Weiss.”

“Weiss,” the woman’s features twisted in a soft, thoughtful expression. “I don’t remember Blake ever talking about you. New friend?”

Quickly glancing over to Blake, the faunus shrugged a bit behind her mother, and she stiffly nodded, praying the woman wouldn’t get too close.

“Yes..?”

“You’re not sure?” Kali teased with a playful wink, but took her hand to shake it, like she did with Ruby.

And instantly gasped, just like she feared, before grasping her hand with both of hers, rubbing them over hers.

“Goodness, your hands are so cold!” The woman sounded genuinely concerned, and when her amber eyes looked up again, Blake’s mother was observing her features carefully, worry deepening the lines on her face, thinning her lips. “You look so pale, too… Honey, are you alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry mom, she’s just… anemic,” Blake tried to intervene, waving the worry aside.

Instead of diminishing, the worry in amber eyes grew to honest concern as Kali stared right in her eyes, before reaching over to press a hand over her forehead, and she had to hold her breath, freezing in place.

“Anemic?! Honey, do you want to lie down? You feel very cool, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Please, I’m sorry, I don’t…” She gently pushed the hand on her forehead back, even took a step back to keep a certain distance between them. A _safe_ distance. “I don’t really appreciate being touched.”

So that was a blatant lie, as she realised both Yang and Blake raised a single eyebrow, while Ruby’s only furrowed. But she couldn’t risk it.

“And, actually, if you don’t mind…” She continued, looking over Kali to Blake, catching her attention. “I do feel tired. If it’s alright, of course…”

“Of course,” Kali instantly nodded, and she saw Blake fondly rolling her eyes at that, but let her mother guide her out of the living room.

She had to give the woman some credits, though, as she followed Kali to a hallway. Even though it was apparent the woman wanted to keep a hand on her, to make sure she was following or to guide her, she refrained from touching her, even kept some space between them. She didn’t think she had enough words to truly explain how she appreciated this.

She knew her hunger was satisfied for a couple more days, but… She just needed to be careful. She didn’t want to relapse again. Not… not after Ruby.

She was glad when Kali finally opened a door for her, gesturing at a simple bed in a room that was obviously destined for guests, and she thanked her graciously, glad that this would be over.

And, now that she was looking over the bed, it looked comfortable enough, and just thinking about laying down was already making her eyelids heavier by the second.

“You just rest, honey,” Kali assured just before closing the door, offering one last warm smile at her. “Take all the time you need.”

And she was left alone. As she sat on the bed with a sigh, she huffed bitterly when she realised that someone else’s mother she just met showed more concern for her in five minutes than her own mother did in centuries. But she wasn’t here to compare, though.

She had all the trouble of the world to take off the boots Yang had loaned her, let them clatter to the floor as she climbed farther on the bed, and she had wanted to slip under the covers, but before she could, she fell asleep in a second, the events of the day for the moment ignored as the soporific air of daytime loosened her frame, and her slumber was already as deep as it could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! <3


End file.
